Cover Taiwanese films are characterised by contemplative storytelling and deep emotion, as seen in ‘The Pig, the Snake and the Pigeon’ (Photo: Netflix)
Taiwanese films are characterised by contemplative storytelling and deep emotion, as seen in ‘The Pig, the Snake and the Pigeon’ (Photo: Netflix)
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Taiwanese films are a gateway to one of Asia’s most exciting cinemas—defined by intimate stories, subtle emotions and unforgettable artistry
You’ve laughed through Bon Appétit, Your Majesty, gasped at Squid Game’s shocking twists and even ventured into the neon-soaked streets of Hong Kong action films. But there’s an entire world of storytelling you might be missing—one that trades bombastic spectacle for something more intimate and profound.
Taiwanese cinema operates on a different wavelength. Born from a New Wave movement in the 1980s that sought to reclaim the island’s suppressed history, Taiwanese films developed a signature style: long, observational takes, sparse dialogue and an almost meditative pace.
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Where Korean dramas excel at heightened emotional crescendos and intricate plot mechanics, Taiwanese cinema asks you to slow down and notice the weight of a glance and the meaning in silence. Here are the Taiwanese films whose beauty lies in restraint.
‘A Sun’ (2019): a family torn apart by crime and favouritism
Above The family drama set in modern Taiwan explores favouritism, crime and the possibility of redemption
Director Chung Mong-hong crafts a devastating family epic. When troubled younger son A-ho (Wu Chien-ho) lands in juvenile detention, his father (Chen Yi-wen) shuns him, investing all hope in high-achieving older brother A-hao (Greg Hsu). An unexpected tragedy forces the family to confront their fractured bonds. Visually stunning with raw, naturalistic performances, the film uses gorgeous wide shots to emphasise characters’s isolation, creating a deeply moving portrait of favouritism and the faint possibility of redemption.
‘Yi Yi’ (2000): a gentle portrait of a modern family
Above ‘Yi Yi’ follows a Taiwanese family in Taipei over the course of one year
Yi Yi, Edward Yang’s final masterpiece, is perhaps the most universally accessible entry point to Taiwanese cinema. Beginning with a wedding and ending with a funeral, this gentle portrait follows the Jian family over one year. Father NJ (Nien-Jen Wu) encounters his first love, teenage daughter Ting-Ting (Kelly Lee) navigates romance and eight-year-old Yang-Yang (Jonathan Chang) photographs people’s backs to show them what they cannot see.
Winner of Best Director at Cannes, Yang’s precise, painterly compositions use windows and reflections to layer characters against sprawling cityscapes. It’s a film of quiet grace finding meaning in everyday moments—the philosophy that we only ever know half the truth rendered in humanistic cinema.
‘Your Name Engraved Herein’ (2020): a sweeping queer love story
Above ‘Your Name Engraved Herein’ tells a heartbreaking story of forbidden love in 1987
Set against the monumental social changes following martial law’s end in 1987, Your Name Engraved Herein is a sweeping queer love story became Taiwan’s highest-grossing LGBTQ+ film and a global Netflix hit. At an all-boys Catholic school, Jia-han (Edward Chen) and Birdy (Tseng Jing-hua) fall deeply in love, their relationship tested by family pressure, societal homophobia and lingering authoritarian culture.
Director Patrick Liu, drawing partly from personal experience, creates a tender, raw portrait of first love’s intensity and agony in a world not yet ready to accept it, powerfully exploring tensions between love, faith and political liberation.
‘Marry My Dead Body’ (2022): a supernatural buddy-cop comedy
Above ‘Marry My Dead Body’ is a supernatural comedy follows a cop who marries a ghost who needs help finding his killer.
This wildly creative supernatural comedy Marry My Dead Body subverts traditional folk customs for progressive storytelling. Homophobic cop Ming-han (Greg Hsu) accidentally picks up a red envelope, binding himself in a ghost marriage to Mao Mao (Austin Lin), a ghost who needs help finding his killer to reincarnate. What emerges is a hilarious, action-packed buddy-cop adventure that tackles toxic masculinity and LGBTQ+ themes with a light touch.
This genre-blending romp—mixing supernatural comedy with poignant social commentary—became Taiwan’s Academy Awards submission for Best International Feature Film. It was remade in Thai as The Red Envelope, starring “Billkin” Putthipong Assaratanakul and PP Krit Amnuaydechkorn.
‘The Pig, the Snake and the Pigeon’ (2023): a gangster thriller with spiritual depth
Above ‘The Pig, the Snake and the Pigeon’ is a gangster thriller that brings together action with Buddhist philosophy.
Taiwan’s third most-wanted criminal, Chen Kui-lin (Ethan Juan), learns he has terminal cancer. Refusing to die in obscurity, he hunts down the top two criminals before turning himself in—a blood-soaked quest that brings him face-to-face with a violent gangster and sinister cult leader.
The Pig, the Snake and the Pigeon cleverly reinterprets classical Chinese literature for a modern crime narrative, infusing gritty Hong Kong-style action with black humour and Buddhist symbolism (the three criminals represent Buddhism’s three poisons: greed, hatred and delusion). This viral hit proves Taiwanese cinema can deliver visceral thrills with a touch of spiritual depth.
‘Incantation’ (2022): a terrifying found-footage horror film
Above ‘Incantation’, based on traditional folklore, became a global Netflix phenomenon
One of the most genuinely terrifying found-footage horror films in recent memory, Kevin Ko’s masterpiece became a global phenomenon after its Netflix release. In Incantation, a woman (Tsai Hsuan-yen) who broke a religious taboo years ago must now protect her young daughter from the horrifying supernatural curse she unleashed.
What makes Incantation uniquely unsettling is its interactive element—directly addressing viewers, making you feel complicit in the curse unfolding onscreen. Its chilling blend of traditional folklore with modern fears and innovative narrative structure creates an experience that lingers long after the credits roll.
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After more than a decade in lifestyle media, Clifford has mastered the art of writing seriously about things that are fun—and writing fun things about people who take themselves very seriously. At Tatler Asia, he helped steer its flagship lists, Tatler’s Most Influential and Asia’s Most Stylish. And today, he leads T-Labs, Tatler Asia’s content innovation hub, where he continues the noble pursuit of lifestyle storytelling, spinning stories on wealth, entertainment, necessary style, Hallyu, Hollywood, beauty and more for audiences across Asia.
