Summer’s Tail 2015

In the eyes of her classmates, Yvette Chang is a rock-and-roll seeker who treats life like a song she can rewrite at any moment. She lives with a cat named Summer, a companion she keeps close as she copes with a congenital heart condition that led her to leave school. Free from the routine confines of classrooms, she fills her days with movement, music, and the small discoveries that come with being away from the crowd. A guitarist at heart, she wanders the world with Summer by her side, chasing a rhythm that makes each ordinary day feel like a chorus to a bigger tune. Her days aren’t quiet—they’re loud with a determination to live fully and to share that energy with others who are also trying to find their footing.

Jimmy Chan, once a standout in the specially gifted and talented class, is another soul on the margins of school life. After confessing his love for a teacher, he faces expulsion, and suddenly the streets become a new horizon to navigate. Yvette reaches out to him with warmth and a steady presence, offering a shoulder and a listening ear as he grapples with complex emotions and the ache of life beyond the classroom. Yet Jimmy is still learning why Yvette seems so full of ambition and zest for living, a contrast to the turmoil that has pushed him into a more uncertain adulthood. Their bond becomes a quiet anchor in a world where adults and expectations feel distant and sometimes unkind.

Together with two more young souls—Wendy, a gifted and talented student, and Akira, a Japanese exchange student who adores soccer but struggles academically—the four eventually stumble upon a hidden haven. Between rice paddies and irrigation canals, they discover an undeveloped patch of land near the tracks of the Taiwan High Speed Rail. This makeshift retreat is nothing grand, but it becomes a sanctuary where they can breathe, dream, and simply be themselves. They gather not only to relax and joke around but to support one another, to listen, and to imagine futures that don’t hinge on conventional paths. In this little enclave, the group’s dynamics unfold with a gentle intensity: they push one another toward hopeful curiosity, encourage each other to pursue something more than survival, and learn how to be there for someone who feels adrift.

The destiny that brought the four together grows into a powerful force of empathy and encouragement. As they spend days under clear blue skies, their conversations drift from lighthearted banter to heartfelt confidences about fear, longing, and the pressures that push people toward despair or bravado. Their camaraderie becomes a thread that ties their separate experiences into a shared experience of growing up—whether life takes the expected route or veers wildly off course. They relish moments of ordinary joy—the sound of music, the touch of a friend’s hand, the feeling of wind on their faces—as if to prove that happiness can be found even when the world feels uncertain or challenging.

At the heart of the story is a hopeful mission: to save an embittered father who stands on the edge of giving up. The four youngsters, guided by their own struggles and resilience, rally to offer support, courage, and a sense that there is meaning to be found even in difficult places. Their attempts are not grand gestures of rescue but sincere acts of companionship and solidarity. They discover that small acts of kindness and a shared sense of purpose can illuminate a path forward, even when the road ahead is unclear.

The film uses the backdrop of its expansive skies to mirror the inner spaces of four young minds. The setting—open fields, distant tracks, and a quiet, improvised retreat—becomes a canvas on which their hopes, fears, and secrets are painted. It’s a story about rejecting the idea that happiness must come from a predetermined destination, and instead embracing a more porous, improvisational approach to living. The blue expanse above them becomes a reminder that possibility stretches far beyond the boundaries of school walls, and that joy can emerge from simply choosing to keep going.

Ultimately, the film asks a timeless question through its gentle metaphor: what is the purpose of that tail we all carry—the little nudge toward joy that keeps us moving? It suggests that happiness is not a trophy won at the end of a long pursuit but a practice—a way of noticing beauty in everyday moments, supporting others, and choosing to find light even when life seems heavy. In the end, finding your own happiness is the quiet, stubborn answer these four friends chase together, one day at a time, beneath the vast, forgiving sky.