The least of these
Yang, who had grown up near Banqiao City's Nanya Night Market and whose father provided fortune telling, feng shui, and Taoist rituals to the public, has seen for himself the vibrancy of Taiwan's lower class. He finds pleasure in writing with warm strokes the stories of those in our society who are ignored by most.
"I got into the business of directing more by luck than skill, and whether others might be able to copy my path I can't really say," says Yang who, like Ang Lee, has relied on good stories and good scripts to make his name.
Whereas the older generation of directors-the likes of Edward Yang, Hou Hsiao-hsien, and Tsai Ming-liang-were able to handle casting, music, cinematography, costuming, and so forth single-handedly with the director's authority unquestionable, Yang Yazhe notes that his generation has been educated to communicate, cooperate, and negotiate with others, so while the new generation lack that kind of professional expertise and may write their scripts single-handedly, they must take on board the ideas of producers, assistant directors, and cinematographers. This means that one doesn't get as much of a sense of satisfaction with directing as the public might think.
From the outside, many people consider Yang's films to show a sense of confidence and ease, but being part of the last generation to grow up with schools' placing strict restrictions on students' hair styles and length, Yang says he still feels the pressure to convey deeper moral messages. "If my works had no deeper meaning to them, I don't think I would be comfortable with that."
Take for example Orz Boyz. The two young classmates of the story, who cheat their classmates of their allowances and are a source of constant headaches for their teacher, rebel against their world by yelling, screaming, chasing others, and fighting. But when as a grown-up Liar No. 2 is reunited with a cartoon character key ring he valued in his youth, audiences can't help but be flooded with feelings of warmth. Orz Boyz, with its laughs and tears, comforts the soul while giving us faith in a brighter, more hopeful future.
Perhaps it is an uncontrived sense of humanity that lends Yang Yazhe's works their distinctive style and have given Yang the chance to reach the top of his field.
Yang Yazhe has a long list of credits to his name, including the gay love and prostitution story Game of Loneliness, the comic-book adaptation A..S..T.., and his first film, Orz Boyz. The top two photos above show Yang at work on filming a television series, while the lower two show him giving advice for a scene to the young star of Orz Boyz.
(courtesy of One Production)