Summer’s Tail 2007

Enno Cheng as Yvette Chang is a spirited, rock-and-roll teenager with a congenital heart condition. Having left school, she spends her days with her cat Summer, guitar in hand, and chasing small discoveries that brighten her world. Her warmth and stubborn optimism become a magnetic center for her friends, inviting them to share in her quiet, unwavering zest for living.

Ray Chang plays Jimmy Chan, a gifted student who fell in love with a teacher and was expelled, leaving him adrift and searching for direction. His raw emotions and restless energy pull at the group’s dynamics, and he slowly discovers that Yvette’s energy and empathy may be exactly what he needs to navigate the ache of his past. The circle also includes Dean Fujioka as Akira Fuwa, a Japanese exchange student who loves soccer but struggles academically, and Hannah Lin as Wendy Lin, a witty classmate whose humor helps them cope with life’s uncertainties.

Under a vast, pale-blue sky, this tight-knit quartet—Jimmy, Yvette, Akira, and Wendy—ventures beyond the boundaries of school into a raw, undeveloped patch of land between rice paddies and irrigation canals, with the Taiwan High Speed Rail tracks looming nearby. There, they carve out a secret base where they can be themselves: they relax, play, dream, and support one another, letting days drift by as they test their limits and imagine a different future. The landscape becomes a living backdrop for their growing empathy and shared ambitions.

Their newfound sanctuary is not without challenge. An embittered father, a figure weighed down by disappointment and despair, enters their world, and the four friends muster courage and kindness to reach out to him, hoping to offer him a glimpse of possibility. James Wen portrays this complex character, adding a layer of gravity to the story as the youths grapple with adult pain and responsibility.

Against the backdrop of clear skies and open fields, the film unfolds as a meditation on what it means to be alive, to endure, and to find happiness in everyday moments. The four students learn that joy can be found in simple, ordinary experiences, and that the pursuit of happiness is a personal journey shaped by friendship, resilience, and the courage to keep moving forward. In the end, the tale invites readers to consider the purpose of that tail we all metaphorically wag: it is a reminder to seek our own happiness, no matter the obstacles.