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When college student Ming (Ming-hsiang Tung) hops on his inadequate bike to do a coastline ride, he's not on any particular quest other than to do it while he still has the time and freedom. As a deaf man, he has the option of turning his hearing aid on and off as his mood dictates, but he's a sociable guy who is happy to meet, interact with, and sketch the people who cross his path along the way, despite the fact that his speaking voice is hard for people to understand. Things get off to an intriguing start as he encounters a film crew working on some kind of artsy experimental project, and soon after he picks up a companion. A-Chun (Darren) is a volatile but amusing guy clad in pink lycra who urges Ming to ride along with him to his hometown where he can rest and take a shower. Once there, however, an ugly rift between A-Chun and his divorcing mother (Hsiu-hui Chen) makes the visit more than a little uncomfortable. Now would be a good time to turn off that hearing aid.
Moving along, Ming has a lyrical encounter with a Lithuanian model (Ruta Palionyte) who has lost her way while trying to catch a train. They frolic on the beach for a while until it's time for Ming to hop on the bike and get moving again. And on he goes, having a few more chance encounters, each one representing some subtle slice of Taiwanese life, be it politics, urbanization and societal dislocation, or abandonment of the elderly. But the film is never strident. Ming couldn't be a gentler soul, and Chen simply seems to be pointing out that life is going on right on the side of the road and is best observed at a slow pace. Everything is out there to be seen and experienced if only we take the time.
While Island Etude will obviously have special resonance for Taiwanese viewers, anyone can take something away from Ming's grueling, poetic journey.
Aka Lian xi qu.
Pedal harder, Armstrong.
