Close Menu
  • Login
  • Support Us
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Video Games
      • Previews
      • PC
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X/S
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Xbox One
      • PS4
      • Tabletop
    • Film
    • TV
    • Anime
    • Comics
      • BOOM! Studios
      • Dark Horse Comics
      • DC Comics
      • IDW Publishing
      • Image Comics
      • Indie Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • Oni-Lion Forge
      • Valiant Comics
      • Vault Comics
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Event Coverage
    • BWT Recommends
    • RSS Feeds
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Support Us
But Why Tho?
RSS Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube
Trending:
  • Features
    Momo and Okarun share a close moment in Dandadan

    Momo And Okarun: The Gold Standard For Shonen Romance

    07/03/2025
    Ironheart Episodes 4 6 But Why Tho 1

    ‘Ironheart’ Explained: Explore MCU’s Bold New Chapter

    07/01/2025
    Buck in 9-1-1

    ‘9-1-1’ Has To Let Buck Say Bisexual

    06/29/2025
    Nintendo Welcome Tour promotional image of the maraca mini-game

    The One “Game” That Justifies The Nintendo Switch 2 Purchase

    06/25/2025
    Destiel Confession in Supernatural - Castiel (Misha Collins) and Dean (Jensen Ackles)

    The Destiel Confession: The Lasting Importance Of Supernatural’s Greatest Ship

    06/22/2025
  • Squid Game
  • K-Dramas
  • Netflix
  • Switch 2 Games
  • Summer Game Fest
But Why Tho?
Home » Film » TIFF 2019: ‘A Sun’ Explores the Complexity of Emotion

TIFF 2019: ‘A Sun’ Explores the Complexity of Emotion

Carolyn HindsBy Carolyn Hinds09/10/20195 Mins ReadUpdated:11/06/2021
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

A Sun

The sun is one of the few things in existence that is truly unbiased. When two people are standing in its light, it doesn’t choose one person over the other to be brighter for. But for those standing in it’s rays the effects might not be the same.

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Directed by Chung Mong-Hong, A Sun shows how individual acts can affect the whole family in unforeseen and heartbreaking ways. When his youngest son A-Ho (Wu Chien-Ho) is sent away to a juvenile detention centre for attacking another young man, A-Wen (Chen Yi-Wen) , decides that he no longer wants anything to do with A-Ho, and turns all of his attention to his work as a driving instructor and to his eldest son A-Hao (Xu Guang-Han). For years A-Hao, who aspires to be a doctor, has been seen as the one worthy of support. The one who A-Wen focused all of his attention, hopes, and aspirations on, like a bright ray of sunshine.

After A-Ho is sent away, his girlfriend Xiao-Yu (Wu Dai-Ling), turns up at their home for the first time and her aunt reveals she’s pregnant with A-Ho’s child. Rather than turn her away, the boys’ mother Qin (Samantha Ko), accepts Xioa-Yu into the family and as her hairdressing assistant. As A-Ho begins to reflect on his actions, and things seem to have settled at home, his brother does something that completely shatters the family. Just like the sun slipping behind a cloud, this tragedy casts a shadow over them, leaving his family to find their way out.

With A Sun, Chung lays human emotions bare in all of their complexities. Emotions like happiness and anger are usually the easiest to explain because they are the ones we’re more comfortable expressing. But sadness, fear,  jealousy and hurt are the ones we hide because we’re afraid of how people will perceive us. In the cruelest catch-22, we use anger and at times fake happiness to hide this.

Depression is something else that we experience that has a profound effect on the way we experience life. Chung deftly reveals how the signs for some who experience depression, aren’t always obvious. These people don’t dwell in the shadows, but manage walk in the full brightness of the sun even though it’s burdensome. To the person walking beside them – a mother, brother, friend, or father – everything seems fine.

They have no idea what their loved one is experiencing internally. There are a lot of visual metaphors to the emotional state of the characters, but it’s a story about Sima Guang, told by A-Hao to his friend that reveals his state of mind. The story reveals that A-Hao is waiting for his friends, and more than likely his brother to look deeper for him and rescue him for the darkness he’s been hidden in. It’s only when, it’s too late that A-Ho realizes that the bother he was always jealous of and resented for receiving their father’s attention, was struggling, and needed and wanted his help.

I always say that depression is a thief of joy because it tells you there’s no hope. It tells you there is no possibility of finding a way out. It steals your peace of mind.

Through his characters Chung shows how resilient we can be, even after suffering a devastating loss. He allows them to express every facet of grief, from despondency to pure rage, as A-Ho does when he comes to terms with the fact he let his jealousy of A-Hao prevent them from bonding.

A Sun is beautifully shot and crafted, but it’s the performances especially those by Wu and Chen, that keep it grounded. Wu’s portrayal of A-Ho’s emotional growth from a rebellious teenager to a mature young man is done naturally, and feels earned. As A-Wen, Chen seems to always have an air of resentment about him, but somehow manages to make him relatable and even likable at times, even when he’s being a hard headed curmudgeon towards his family.

Though the main cast were all great, there is one supporting actor Liu Kuan-Ting, who really caught my attention with how much he made me dislike his character Radish. Any actor who can invoke intense feelings of annoyance and disdain, has definitely done their job quite well.

A Sun is not only a story about the relationship between fathers and sons, it’s a lesson telling us to pay attention to the people in our lives. It asks us to notice them and listen to what they’re saying and not saying, because it’s in the quiet moments that we sometimes speak the loudest. If we do, there is a chance healing and personal redemption can be found, and as in A-Ho’s case – who learned to want better for himself – hope for a brighter tomorrow where the sun can be a blessing and not a curse.

A Sun was written by Chung Mong-Hong and Chang Yaosheng, Produced by Yeh Jufeng, Tseng Shao-Chien,  and releases in Taiwan theatres on November 1, 2019.

A Sun
  • 8/10
    Rating - 8/10
8/10

TL;DR

A Sun is not only a story about the relationship between fathers and sons, it’s a lesson telling us to pay attention to the people in our lives. It asks us to notice them and listen to what they’re saying and not saying, because it’s in the quiet moments that we sometimes speak the loudest. If we do, there is a chance healing and personal redemption can be found, and as in A-Ho’s case – who learned to want better for himself – hope for a brighter tomorrow where the sun can be a blessing and not a curse.

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
Previous ArticleREVIEW: ‘The Wrath’ is Unrelenting Horror from the First Moment
Next Article REVIEW: ‘The Riddler: Year of the Villain’ #1
Carolyn Hinds
  • X (Twitter)
  • Instagram

I am a Freelance Film Critic, Journalist and Podcaster - and avid live tweeter. Member of the African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA), my published work can be found on ButWhyThoPodcast, The Beat, Observer, and many other sites. As a critic, I believe my personal experiences and outlook on life, give readers and listeners a different perspective they can appreciate, and help them to see things in a new light. I am the proud host of Beyond The Romance Drama Podcast - a podcast dedicated to discussing Korean and other Asian dramas, the co-host of So Here's What Happened! Podcast (@SHWH_Pod), and the weekly science fiction film and TV live tweet event #SaturdayNightSciFi.

Related Posts

The Old Guard 2
5.5

REVIEW: ‘The Old Guard 2’ Is Distracted And Half-Baked

07/02/2025
Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Bailey in Jurassic World: Rebirth
5.5

REVIEW: ‘Jurassic World: Rebirth’ Is Best When Nobody Is Talking

06/30/2025
MEGAN 2.0 promotional image
7.0

REVIEW: ‘M3GAN 2.0’ Puts Action First

06/29/2025
F1 (2025) promotional key art
8.0

REVIEW: ‘F1’ Is A High-Octane Blockbuster

06/24/2025
KPop Demon Hunters Promotional image form Netflix
9.0

REVIEW: ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Brings Beautiful Animation And An Even Better Message

06/20/2025
Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Alfie Williams in 28 Years Later
8.5

REVIEW: ’28 Years Later’ Is How Franchises Should Return

06/18/2025

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here
TRENDING POSTS
Taecyeon and Seohyun in The First Night With The Duke Episodes 7-8
7.5
TV

REVIEW: ‘The First Night With The Duke’ Episodes 7-8

By Sarah Musnicky07/03/2025

The First Night With The Duke Episodes 7-8 spends welcome time in pre-domestic bliss before new developments stir up trouble.

The Terminal List: Dark Wolf trailer First Look Image From Prime Video News

Prime Video Unleashes Teaser for Prequel Series The Terminal List: Dark Wolf

By Kate Sánchez07/04/2025

The first Terminal List: Dark Wolf trailer was released today by Prime Video. The series…

Together (2025) still from Sundance
8.0
Film

REVIEW: Have A Grossly Good Time ‘Together’

By Kate Sánchez01/27/2025Updated:07/04/2025

Dave Franco and Alison Brie’s Together (2025) is disgustingly funny, genuinely ugly, and just a good time at the movies.

Black Women Anime — But Why Tho (9) BWT Recommends

10 Black Women in Anime That Made Me Feel Seen

By LaNeysha Campbell11/11/2023Updated:12/03/2024

Black women are some of anime’s most iconic characters, and that has a big impact on Black anime fans. Here are some of our favorites.

But Why Tho?
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest RSS YouTube Twitch
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Review Score Guide
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small contribution.
Written Content is Copyright © 2025 But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

But Why Tho Logo

Support Us!

We're able to keep making content thanks to readers like YOU!
Support independent media today with
Click Here