In 1940s Taiwan, during the last days of Japanese rule, an impoverished farming village is less concerned with colonial politics than with feeding their families. One day, an American bomb falls onto a field, where it lies unexploded.
Direction
Wang Tung balances slapstick and tragedy like a tightrope over poverty.
Production
Evocative 1940s Taiwan recreated with mud, sweat, and desperation.
Director
Wang Tung
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Strawman was part of Taiwan's 1980s New Wave, when filmmakers finally explored the island's complex Japanese colonial legacy instead of ignoring it.
Yang Kuei-mei's 'Wide Mouth Wife' became her breakout role; she later won Best Actress at Cannes for Vive L'Amour. Wang Tung discovered her in a small theater troupe.
TW
