A heated summer in northern Taiwan cultivates a young man′s anguish. His name, Cheng-jia, is somewhat ironic. ＂Cheng-jia＂, in Chinese, means to build a family and settle down. However, Cheng-jia in this film seems to be cursed. After he was born, his sisters and father die in a series of accidents. Lunar July, traditionally known as ghost month, his father dies after losing a million at the local gambling house. Since it is improper to perform a funeral during this month, his father′s coffin has to remain in the living room for the entire month. Cheng-jia passes by the coffin everyday and grudgingly starts to work for the local gambling house as a doorman to redeem his father′s debt. He then gets caught by the police and set up by his gang who also brutally rape his girlfriend. Throughout this summer, Cheng-jia witness a more dangerous outside world than his original bland but peaceful youth. Although About July is Wei Te-Shen′s first feature, his craft is mature. The main scenes occur on the central stairway of a tiny apartment. Frequent running up and down the stairs leads to unfolding scenes of gambling, sex and violence. The camera follows the protagonist closely, provoking surprise in the viewer. About July is a well-constructed film in terms of character development, mise-en-scene, and more. (Regina Ho)