The Film: 4/5

Daughter of the Nile, a Taiwanese drama first released in its native country near the end of the summer of 1987 before becoming a film festival fixture for the next year, is a sensitive and often haunting slice-of-life story from filmmaker Hou Hsiao-hsien (The Assassin) and his frequent screenwriter Chu T’ien-wen (adapting an original story by Chien-ho Huang and Angelika Wang). Instead of following a traditional narrative, Daughter is presented as a few days in the life of Lin Hsiao-yang (Taiwan pop star Lin Yang), an ordinary young woman who works during the day at Kentucky Fried Chicken, attends night school classes during her off hours, and spends nearly every free moment of her time taking care of her troubled family as best she can.

Her brother (Jack Kao) divides his time between running a bar in the city and indulging in a life of crime that he never seemed suited for. Lin’s mother and older brother died years before, so she must help raise her younger sister, who is starting to exhibit criminal behavior of her own, because her father (Fu Sheng Tsui) is away most of the time. The only solace Lin manages to extract from each tiresome day is the escape she finds in the Egyptian-themed manga Daughter of the Nile (whose story and characters parallel with her own at times) and her growing romantic infatuation with Ah-sang (Fan Yang), a flashy playboy wannabe whose entanglement with the wife of a Triad-connected businessman threatens violent retribution.

Day after day, night after day, Daughter of the Nile is perfectly content with following Lin from her home to her thankless fast food job to the few hours she gets at night to live for herself, hoping to improve her education and find true love, spending time with her friends and trying to be both a source of inspiration and strength to a family that she can’t prevent from slowly coming apart. That’s the way it should be. Though the film is scripted, the strongest character scenes have a lively improvisational quality about them that feels authentic and unlike most youth-dominated films of that decade made and released all over the world.

It’s refreshing to watch these young adults try to keep actual adulthood at bay while holding on to the basic requirements for being productive members of a society in the midst of its own evolution. Lin’s night school classmates act like immature high school kids even though they have moved past that stage of life, and when she is with her friends, they party at local clubs and hang out at the beach. It’s a very laidback existence; no one appears to suffer from substance abuse problems, and yet violence comes swiftly and with such force that it hangs like the darkest of clouds over Lin’s seemingly simple world.

Best known for her music career, Yang is a quiet revelation in one of her few film roles. She’s a natural when it comes to portraying Lin’s conflicting emotions and aching heart with genuineness and Daughter isn’t nearly as effective a drama when she’s not on screen because of the character’s importance as the one at the center of the various plotlines. Jack Kao and Fan Yang each give strong performances as the men in Lin’s life both walking dangerous paths that are doomed to end in bloodshed, while Fu Sheng Tsui and Tianlu Li are given their share of brief but nuanced and affecting moments as her father and grandfather, respectively.

The direction by Hou is artfully composed without any single shot calling attention to itself, and the cinematography is at its most gorgeous and compelling when drinking in the lush Taipei nightlife.

Audio/Video: 4/5

The A/V quality of this Region B Blu-ray from Eureka Entertainment – part of their Masters of Cinema series - is a decidedly mixed bag, but I don’t doubt that every effort was made to give the Daughter of the Nile restoration the treatment and respect it deserves. Whatever film elements were used for the 4K restoration Daughter underwent prior to this release must have been in outstanding condition because Eureka’s transfer (presented in full 1080p resolution in the film’s original 1.85:1 widescreen aspect ratio) looks terrific in every aspect.

Director Hou and his cinematographer Huai-en Chen favored medium shots that made splendidly evocative use of the sparse sets and neon-drenched nighttime atmosphere while keeping their focus on the characters’ internal and external dilemmas. The exterior night scenes look the best in this transfer with balanced black levels and warm and inviting pink and orange hues bringing visual magic to the film’s drab workaday world with inviting ease. Interiors benefit from an abundance of improved texture that bring out the smallest detail in the comforting confines of Lin’s home and her brother’s luxurious bar.

The uncompressed Mandarin Chinese PCM 1.0 mono audio track lacks presence and the dialogue often comes through tinny, but the mix is consistent from the start and isn’t hampered by distortion. Music sounds better during the few times it is employed and it meshes adequately with the rest of the audio. Optional English subtitles have also been provided.

Extras: 2/5

The only major disc-based extra feature is a new video interview with Asian film expert Tony Rayns (42 minutes) that touches upon the filmmaking career of Hou Hsiao-hsien and spends most of its time breaking down the characters, incidents, and themes at play in Daughter of the Nile. To call this talk a little dry would be a major understatement, but if the subjects being discussed are of any interest to you whatsoever, you might find this worth at least one watch. Other than that, we get the original Chinese language theatrical trailer (1 minute). This set also comes with a Region 2 DVD copy and a collector’s booklet featuring a note and statement from the director, still photos, and disc credits.

Overall: 3/5

A film as gentle, loving, and complex as its central character Lin, Daughter of the Nile is an affecting drama from the celebrated Chinese filmmaker Hou Hsiao-hsien that approaches its characters and subject matter with honesty and intelligence as opposed to trite sentimentality. It’s a film about flawed people who each try to be better in a way that best suits their desires, with results that make perfect sense, and the storytellers refuse to praise or judge them. This is a work of cinema that rewards your viewing time if you’re willing to invest more than your eyesight in its narrative pleasures. Eureka’s Blu-ray/DVD set comes recommended on the strength of the film and its excellent new restored transfer and has a few nice supplements to sweeten the deal.