The Fourth Portrait

• Nonetheless, Chung is a wizard at evoking moods. The director never shuns away from his background in TV commercials, weaving rich colors, polished compositions and fluid camera work into a cinematography that gives Taiwan’s countryside a dreamlike, surreal quality.

• Chung pays careful attention to lighting and colors, with cold blue-grays offset by occasional saturated richness. Landscapes, and especially magical skies, reveal a painter’s palette of tones and provide an uplift when fate appears less generous.

• The Fourth Portrait is some of Chung Mong-Hong’s finest work. Maybe my favorite? It's certainly my favorite of his script/storytelling-wise given its nuance, characters (characterization, character interactions), astute observations of human behavior, and sporadic (but ever-welcome!) found family elements. This being only Chung’s second written/directed feature makes it all the more impressive.

• Apart from those minor issues, though, “The Fourth Portrait” is an excellent movie that bolsters an intriguing story, exquisite cinematography, and is rather well-acted and directed, in another testament to Chung Mong-hong filmmaking abilities.

• Beyond wonderful—easily my favorite of Chung Mong-Hong's feature films so far. Chung guides Xiao Xiang on a journey to find his roots; a young soul seeking familial affection and friendship meets people from all walks of life, from the school janitor to 'Handgun'. The death of his father sends Xiao Xiang searching for his origins, recalling his brother in his dreams, culminating in a conclusion steeped in heavy, aching melancholy that cuts right to the heart.

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