Die Heimat
The grandmother, the uncle and the dog
2021, Fotofilm, 20min
During the latter half of the 20th century the so-called Taiwan miracle, the islands rapid industrial development, left a deep impact on a highly diverse, largely agricultural and strongly traditional society. The sheer pace of the transformations demanded a high level of adaptability from the people of Taiwan. Despite the introduction of a democratic system during the 1990s, social development was lacking behind the unbridled and growth oriented economic change. Still today, traditional mindsets and the demands of survival in a meritocracy collide with public narrative of a modern Taiwan. During the transformations, lacking solidarity many were left out in the cold. Instead, the demands of traditional values added to the pressures and self-imposed hardship.
Against this background, Chang uses an expository documentary that portrays a part of her own family history. She mirrors fatefully individualized biographies of Taiwan’s untold social history. With mellow sequenced photographic exposures and a balanced and tender narrative she provides a deep and emotional insight into the brutal loneliness that characterizes these biographies. A neglected dog, a handicapped uncle and a grandmother who did everything right, become symbols of a society that has left many people behind in its urge for freedom and prosperity.