Since its release in September 2020, this blockbuster so far has already accumulated NT$100M (around US$3.5M) on the island alone—an enormous number not just for an LGBTQ film, but for every Taiwanese film. With its premiere on Netflix on December 23, this film, Your name Engraved Herein, can finally be watched by viewers all over the world. However, based on the director’s true story happening in Taiwan in 1987 and shot in a lyrical and poetic way, this film has many cultural nuances that are only familiar to local Taiwanese people and many details that you might misinterpret the whole storyline if you do not pay keen attention to. We think it would be a pity if people can’t fully enjoy this film because of cultural boundaries, so here we would like to provide seven interesting facts about this movie that you might not have known before.
What are Birdy’s true feelings? Does Birdy actually love Jia-Han or Ban-Ban?
The film is about the love story of Jia-Han (CHANG Jia-Han or simply A-Han, played by Edward CHEN) and Birdy (WANG Bo-De, played by TSENG Jing-Hwa). However, since the whole movie is shot from Jia-Han’s perspective, it is quite common to ignore Birdy's feelings and only realize half of the story. Many people raise questions such as "Did Birdy love Jia-Han or Ban-Ban?", "Why did Birdy do this?" after seeing the film for the first time. Nevertheless, the true story is that Birdy loved Jia-Han as much as, if not more than, Jia-Han loved Birdy. However, the cues are so implicitly hidden in this film that people may not notice these nuances, especially Birdy's acting and facial expressions.
Searching for the evidence of Birdy's love can be addictively intriguing, which is also the reason why many fans rewatch the film again and again. However, it might be not easy for foreigners to decode Birdy’s real thoughts because of cultural and language barriers. So here we would like to explain how Birdy really feels according to cues in the movie and help you uncover the hidden part of the story.
In the beginning of this movie, Birdy tries to approach Jia-Han by funny excuses such as borrowing soap and sharing walnuts in Jia-Han’s bed. He is simply attracted to Jia-Han and falls in love, just like Jia-Han can not stop watching him. They are together and have a wonderful time that year.
However, Birdy soon changes his attitude and turns cold to Jia-Han after he meets Ban-Ban, leaving Jia-Han in disappointment. Worse still, Birdy does really mean things to upset Jia-Han. He suggests Jia-Han to get a girlfriend in the church, acts intimately with Ban-Ban in front of Jia-Han at the night market, and even passes Jia-Han's secret love message "WANAN" to Ban-Ban with a balloon in public. Seeing how Birdy’s behavior leaves Jia-Han so heart-broken and in despair, many people might start to wonder if Birdy is actually straight.
It is not until the final part of the movie does Birdy confesses his love. It is surprising, not only to Jia-Han, but also to some viewers who think that Birdy loves Ban-Ban instead. However, many nuanced scenes in this film actually indicate that Birdy’s true love is Jia-Han. Every time Birdy tries to upset Jia-Han, there are often moments when Birdy reveals his genuine feelings of sorrow and guilt through his facial expression once he finds out that Jia-Han is not looking at him and he can stop “acting”. For example, in the church scene, Birdy at first teases Jia-Han and says that he wants Jia-Han to get a girlfriend in a careless attitude, but his expression changes suddenly after Jia-Han leaves, showing that his carelessness is merely a play-act in front of Jia-Han. There are also times, though rare, when Birdy just can not but show worry and heartbreak, even in front of Jia-Han. During their argument at Jia-Han’s home, Birdy’s eyes are filled with sadness when he questions Jia-Han “Have you gone crazy?” after Jia-Han is about to come out of the closet in front of his parents. Though never giving in with his words, Birdy’s tears at that moment reveal his true feelings, that what he really cares about was Jia-Han and that he does not want Jia-Han to be hurt because of him. Moreover, in the very same scene, in response to Jia-Han's abrupt question "I dare to say who I like, do you dare?", Birdy can only fall silent because he can neither say he loves Jia-Han out loud, nor can he tell a lie that he loves someone else.
So why does Birdy try to distance himself from Jia-Han? In this movie, Birdy witnesses several violent incidents related to being gay, like the schoolmate being bullied in the bathroom. He later even gets involved in one himself, ending up jumping off the building just because he and Jia-Han are too close. These make him realize that for him and Jia-Han, being together will lead to terrible results under the social pressure at that time. Though Birdy is not that concerned about his own safety, as he does many crazy things then, he can not bear to see Jia-Han get hurt because of him. So he makes a hard decision, distancing himself from Jia-Han and starting to date Ban-Ban, who tries so hard only to find 30 years later that “Liking boys is innate. If I had known, I wouldn't have tried so hard.” and accept the fact that Birdy might like her, but never truly loves her. Birdy’s true love has always been Jia-Han, since they met for the first time in the pool.
By the way, don’t feel bad about yourself if you can’t tell between these two boys in the first half. Many viewers also had complained about this because these two actors actually look somewhat alike, even to the eyes of a native Taiwanese. So it’s not about race. I can assure you.
OK I get it now. But why does Birdy have to hide his true feelings?
To know the answer, we have to understand what it is like to be a gay student in Taiwan in 1987. Despite being the first country to legalize gay marriage in 2019, Taiwan was quite conservative 30 years ago. Being gay was never acceptable because people believed in reproduction as the main purpose of marriage, and many even valued only patrilineal descendants. If anyone was considered gay, he would probably be harshly blamed by the family and fatally bullied by others.
The situation is even harsher for Jia-Han and Birdy, for they are still students in this story. During those years, for high school students, studying for the college entrance exam is the only thing considered important. Many measures are often taken to keep students concentrating on their studies, even though they are nowadays considered unreasonable. There were even military officers and dormitory masters in the school, maintaining strict discipline with corporal punishment. Romance relationships, even interactions between boys and girls, are strictly forbidden, not to mention same-sex relationships, which are totally unthinkable at that time.
Also, students are asked to choose between science studies major and social studies major so that they can focus on their exam subjects more. However, only those who majored in science studies are considered promising in their future career. This is why Jia-Han’s father was so angry at Jia-Han’s transfer from a science major to a social studies major.
Who is the pretesting guy on the footbridge?
Appearing in the film for just one minute, this guy, Chi Chia-wei, is an iconic flagbearer in Taiwan’s LGBTQ movement, and the director pays tribute to his great contribution by filming how he, a courageous gay, once faced brutal treatment by the government at that time. In an era when homosexuality was taboo, Chi Chia-wei was the first person in Taiwan to come out as gay on national television in 1986. He kept fighting for gay rights and gay marriage in his own unique way, including wearing bold costumes while protesting, as shown in the movie. Thanks to his efforts, Taiwan has finally legalized gay marriage in 2019, becoming the first country in Asia to do so.
He was selected by Time magazine as THE 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE OF 2020. For more of his information, you can read the article here.
What’s martial law in Taiwan and why does the whole movie start with a government announcement?
It is quite crucial to understand the historical background of Taiwan to emphasize the feelings of Jia-Han and Birdy in this movie. The island of Taiwan was under the rule of the authoritarian Kuomintang-led Government since its defeat in Mainland China in 1949, and martial law had been in effect from then until 1987, which was one of the longest impositions of martial law in human history. In the era of martial law, Taiwan was under strict government control, and human rights were often compromised. The leaders of the government (both from the Chiang family) were usually idolized, and hence there is a scene in the movie where thousands of people attend former president Chiang Ching-kuo’s funeral, including Jia-Han and Birdy.
In the latter years of the martial law era, however, things started to change. Restrictions started to loosen, and there was a movement toward a more democratic and free society. This finally led to the lift of martial law in 1987, which also marked the year when Jia-Han met Birdy. This is why the movie starts with the government announcing the lift of martial law. In those years, Taiwan's society was optimistic but also unsettling. Old ideology started to wane, and people started to question existing rules. However, new social rules had not been established yet and people—especially the youth—often felt confused and lost, which occasionally led to anger. This can be perfectly summarized by the conversation in the film: when Birdy says “I thought martial law was lifted” after their performance is stopped by the Military Officer, Jia-Han responds “Do you think the world has changed? Actually, it hasn't changed a bit.”
In the movie, there are many scenes on the train or on the boat. Where does the story take place and where do they travel?
The fictitious high school in the story is based on the director’s alma mater, a Christian high school in Taichung which is metropolitan in the middle part of western Taiwan. In the film, most of the events take place in Taichung, but Jia-Han and Birdy also go to Taipei city and Penghu islands, hence the many scenes about transportation.
They go to Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, as representatives of Witt High school to pay tribute to the former president, Chiang Ching-kuo, after his death. Taipei is located in northern Taiwan and is a 3-hour train ride from Taichung, so you can see both Jia-Han and Birdy fall asleep on the train.
After the argument in Jia-Han’s home, Jia-Han runs out angrily and Birdy soon follows. They end up in the Penghu Islands, which are located in the Taiwan Strait, to the west of Taiwan island. It is no surprise that Jia-Han wants to go to Penghu when he wants to go to the end of the world where he can no longer be tortured by his uncontrolled love. Penghu is a group of beautiful islands with white beaches and calming ocean waves, but it is very far from Taichung (at least for a high school student.) It takes a 4-hour train ride from Taichung to Kaohsiung Port, where they then take an overnight ferry ride to Penghu. (Now there is no overnight ferry ride to Penghu, as ferries go much faster today.)
Songs play an important role in this movie, as unspoken love between same-sex lovers can only be communicated through songs at that time. There are three main songs in this film. The self-titled theme song, “Your Name Engraved Herein” ("刻在我心底的名字"), is written by Jia-Han in college (though he lies and says it is by a friend), showing his endless sadness after parting with Birdy. At the end of this movie, the song is sung again by young Jia-Han and Birdy, epitomizing their romantic union in Quebec and leaving us wondering what will happen next after the last line, “If I have another chance, I will surely love again.” This song is actually written in 2019 by artists in Singapore and Malaysia and has been the number one hit in many countries on Spotify. You can find its English translation here.
The other two songs, “This World” ("這個世界") by Tsai Lan-chin and "Crowded Paradise" (“擁擠的樂園”) by Bobby Chen are actually classics from that era. In this movie, “The World” is especially important because it is the love song that Birdy gives Jia-Han. On their trip to Taipei, Birdy picks this song from the music player and says it is a gift for Jia-Han. This song appears four times in the film, indicating Birdy's love, which can not be told. It is actually a very popular song among the gay community at that time, giving many hopes with its encouraging lyrics:
Our world is not as bad as you said
So why do you still sign?
With your care and all your love
Let's add some beautiful colors to this world.
What is the seventh secret? Any surprise for me?
Yes, definitely! The secret is that, after you finish watching the film, don’t skip the end credit as Netflix always automatically does for you! There are a few scenes showing the interaction between Birdy and Jia-Han from Birdy’s perspective, which complements the main part that is all-too-much-Jia-Han. And actually, there are more “sweet scenes” in the original script, which are cut out during the editing phase. Being called unfavorably as “cecum” by the director, these clips however are later released and are dearly loved by many fans. You can find the video on the official Facebook page.
Written By Two Loyal Taiwanese Fans: A-Jing & Yoyo (yoyo927@gmail.com).
We actually did not anticipate that we would write this much in the end lol. Maybe this movie wakes up the crazy (Birdy) and the courageous (Jia-Han) deep in our hearts. English is not our native language, but we hope this article helps you love this movie even more. : )
