The Spring Outside the Fence

+ intro by Professor Chris Berry, Film Studies at King’s College London

This evocative period drama from Taiwan traces the relationship between free-spirited Li Lin and introverted Ai Hua.

  • Director

    Li Youning

  • With

    Cherie Chung Cho-hung, Su Ming-ming

  • Taiwan 1985. 112min

  • Digital (restoration)

  • Mandarin with English subtitles

This evocative period drama from Taiwan traces the relationship between free-spirited Li Lin and introverted Ai Hua, teenage girls growing up in a military dependents’ village in the 1960s. Director Li Youning depicts a culture in flux, showing how American music, fashion and cinema are redefining everyday life, and new relationships are taking shape amidst the lively subculture of Taipei’s GI bars.