Director: Hou Hsiao-Hsien
Country: Taiwan
Award: none
Movement: Taiwan New Wave
One glance at the 1987 Daughter of the Nile will convince the viewer that this is not the cheapjack 1969 American TV movie of the same name. Instead, this is a compelling Taiwanese drama about a wistful schoolgirl (Yang Lin) who is peripherally involved in a teen-aged crime ring. She escapes from the harshness of her surrounding reality by reading her favorite comic book, Daughter of the Nile. Despite its inherent whimsical nature, the film is a straight-on look at urban decay in modern Taiwan. Daughter of the Nile was originally released as Nilouhe Nuer. Lin Hsiao-yang (Lin Yang), tries to keep her family together while working as a waitress at Kentucky Fried Chicken and going to night school. Her mother and older brother are dead. Her father (Fu Sheng Tsui) works out of town. It is up to Lin Hsiao-yang to take care of her pre-teen sister, who has already begun to steal, and a brother (Jack Kao) who is a burglar and gang member.
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