Dark Summer Day

Edward Yang's films heralded the beginning of the Taiwanese new wave, in which characters face conflicting influences of history, culture and capitalism. A Brighter Summer Day is based on Yang's memories of his own adolescence.

Inspired by a 1961 tragedy in which a 14-year-old boy murdered his girlfriend, the film portrays a Taiwan caught between the traditions of mainland China and the allure of Western culture. Critic Jonathan Rosenbaum of the Chicago Reader says this is "the richest novelistic movie made by anyone during the '90s ... arguably the greatest of all Taiwanese films."

Summer Day kicks off a three-weekend, six-film showcase of Yang's work. It shows at 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12, at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

-- Leigh Hopper