Eternal Summer 2006

In a quiet seaside town in southern Taiwan, a studious Jonathan is asked by a teacher to look after his rebellious classmate Shane. Ten years later, what began as a simple obligation has blossomed into a warm, enduring friendship: Jonathan stays on a rigorous academic path, while Shane finds his calling on the basketball court.

Carrie, a Taiwan-born schoolgirl who arrives from Hong Kong to live with her mother after a family dispute, joins their school and quickly befriends Jonathan. She convinces him to join her on a secret day-trip to Taipei, and in the evening she seduces him in a seedy hotel, though Jonathan leaves clearly distraught. Carrie’s keen observations of Jonathan and Shane’s close bond lead her to suspect that he is gay and in love with his best friend.

Carrie then meets Shane through Jonathan after a school day when Shane shows an interest in her. Despite her initial misgivings about his boorish charm, she gradually gives in to his roguish appeal. She agrees to become his girlfriend, on the condition that he manages to gain entry to a university.

Later, Shane manages to enter university, while Jonathan—already wrestling with a burgeoning sexual identity crisis—does not. Shane does his best to keep secret his feelings for Carrie to protect the feelings of his lifelong friend. Despite their efforts to keep things hidden, the truth eventually comes to light, forcing all three to reassess their relationships in a new light.

After a party, Shane is hit by a car while riding his motorbike, and Jonathan brings him home. There, Shane initiates and they have sex, which Jonathan reluctantly agrees to. Early the next morning, while Shane sleeps, Jonathan calls Carrie to ask her to look after Shane and then leaves.

Shane then takes Jonathan and Carrie to the beach, where tension boils over. Jonathan tells Shane they should stop seeing each other, and Shane confronts him, asking if he truly means it. Carrie steps away and watches from the car. Shane repeats that best friends can tell each other anything, and Jonathan finally confesses his romantic feelings for Shane, only to walk away. Shane reveals a secret of his own: he has ADHD, which helped explain his lifelong loneliness and how he always felt the teacher had forced Jonathan to be his friend. Jonathan’s feelings appear unrequited at the end, as Shane reveals that, in his view, Jonathan remains his best friend.