This film follows the pain of ordinary people living on the social fringe and their historical background. Japanese director Shuhei Fujita completed it in Taiwan over a span of 4 years based on autobiographical experiences. The young Japanese Shuji visits Taiwan according to his mother′s will to have her ashes sprinkled in her hometown. On his way to his mother′s hometown, he meets various kinds of people. Among them are Renato, a laborer from the Philippines and elderly Mr. Wang who teaches Chinese at an institute. Their lonely days in the streets, the subway, in their room and at work are full of solitude and such a lingering sentiment brings contemporaneous sympathy. At the same time, they hold a story that must be told to their family for posterity. Shuji hears about the family history of his mother′s birth place and about past experiences from Mr. Wang, who is a veteran soldier. It is surely the history of a Japanese who lived in Taiwan and a Mainlander from China. However, if you are an Asian who lived during the turbulent years of recent modern history, then it′s a memory about the past that anyone could have. Like so, the personal history of the living is told to others in a subdued voice. It′s a film that surely, though in a gradual way, understands the sense of loss, solitude, the fading past, and the compassion and camaraderie that endured it all. (Kwon Yong-min)