Somewhere I Have Never Travelled 2009
Directed by
Fu Tien-Yu
Made by
Wu's Production Co. Ltd.
Somewhere I Have Never Travelled Plot Summary
Read the complete plot summary and ending explained for Somewhere I Have Never Travelled (2009). From turning points to emotional moments, uncover what really happened and why it matters.
In a small, slow-moving port town in southern Taiwan, two lonely youths dream of breaking free from a life that feels endlessly repetitive and unkind. The film’s first half blends light humor with a sense of unease as the world around them remains drab and colorless. For Ah-gui, the child whose perspective anchors much of this story, the environment is constantly frustrating: a place where the ordinary can feel crushing, and where color seems to elude her sight. Her grandmother, Grandma, steps in with care, taking her to a local shaman who tries to read the ache in her life. The shaman’s verdict is enigmatic: her spirit has wandered, but will return once she grows up. This sense of being somehow apart from the world is reinforced by the truth that Ah-gui is color-blind, a detail that threads through her attempts to interpret everything around her.
The person she admires most is her cousin, Ah-hsian, a charismatic dreamer who fills the ordinary with possibilities. He imagines travel as a grand, endless voyage, drawing on a bookshelf full of travel guides to conjure far-off places and odd encounters. His stories become a lifeline for Ah-gui, a way to slip out of their quiet town into a realm where difference feels like a doorway rather than a wall. A turning point arrives when Ah-hsian meets a Japanese tourist traveling alone. The cousin’s imagination expands as he brings Ah-gui into one late-night moment at the school, as he carries mosquito repellant to the guest staying in an extra room. She witnesses part of an intimate encounter between them, and the memory lingers. When the tourist departs the next day, a changed Ah-hsian seems to emerge, and so too does a brighter, more vulnerable version of Ah-gui.
Years pass, and Ah-gui grows into a young woman who still struggles with life’s practicalities and her disability. She enrolls in a cosmetology program, but instructors, and even Ah-hsian, harshly test her progress. Yet the cousins’ dream never truly fades. Ah-hsian remains a romantic at heart, with “True Love” as his guiding goal, and he invites Ah-gui to join him on a long harbor date with his new partner. The evening unfolds with tension and unspoken questions, and Ah-gui returns home unsettled, a small moment that foreshadows larger storms ahead. She even borrows money from Ah-hsian to replace a replaced mannequin, but when he pushes for repayment, she refuses to be tied to him by debt. A little later, she discovers money tucked away by her uncle, a small echo of the world’s unpredictability and temptation. To plan a future that might fit her colors and her life, she seeks help from a travel agent, hoping to chart a path to an island in the Pacific where color-blind people are said to belong.
Both Ah-gui and Ah-hsian learn a hard lesson: no amount of planning or dreaming can shield you from the consequences of careless, painful choices. Ah-gui uncovers the truth of a betrayal when she sees Ah-hsian’s boyfriend with another person, and a fight erupts. The moment intensifies as Ah-hsian breaks down in the church confessional, delivering an almost lyrical soliloquy in English that echoes E. E. Cummings’ Somewhere I have Never Traveled, a moment that hints at tragedy. Then, in a single, devastating knock on the door, a voice cries out, “Come quick, Ah-hsian has killed himself.” Rushing to the hospital, Ah-gui tells the comatose Ah-hsian how disappointed she is and asks who will carry her away now that he cannot.
The film closes with a quiet, almost ceremonial image of domestic life and memory. Ah-gui visits her cousin in the hospital, trying to coax him back to life with the games they once played as children. At home, her grandmother makes umbrellas, and the moment becomes a tender symbol of choice and resilience: Ah-gui takes a yellow umbrella for herself while returning a blue one to her grandmother to hold. She twirls it as she looks toward the horizon, and softly, with a note of hope, she whispers to the world, “Look a rainbow.”
Look a rainbow
Somewhere I Have Never Travelled Timeline
Follow the complete movie timeline of Somewhere I Have Never Travelled (2009) with every major event in chronological order. Great for understanding complex plots and story progression.
Escape-aimed childhood in a southern Taiwan port town
In a small lazy port town in southern Taiwan, Ah-gui and her cousin Ah-hsian dream of escaping their drab lives. They use humor and imagination to cope with a world that feels colorless and dull. The bond between them is the seed of a journey that will blur fantasy and reality.
Father returns home with naked mannequins
Ah-gui's father, in a drunken stupor, brings home naked mannequins to replace the wife who left him. The bizarre domestic scene underscores a household consumed by loss and fragility. Ah-gui begins to sense that the world is not as simple as she wishes.
Grandmother seeks answers from a shaman
The grandmother takes Ah-gui to a local shaman to understand why her world feels so difficult. The shaman proclaims that Ah-gui's spirit has gone and will return only as she grows older. This reading of fate casts her adolescence in a mythic light.
Colorblindness discovered at school
Tests at the school reveal that Ah-gui is completely color-blind, adding another layer to her sense of separation from the visible world. The diagnosis intensifies the adults' confusion about her differences and her own frustration. School life becomes a constant negotiation of identity.
Ah-hsian's imaginative journeys spark a dream world
Ah-hsian, a brilliant storyteller, imagines distant places through his travel guides and bookshelf. He invites Ah-gui on imaginary journeys that carry her beyond their drab town into a world of strange people and wonders. Their shared fantasies become a lifeline against monotony.
The visit with a Japanese tourist at the local school
Ah-hsian brings mosquito repellant to a Japanese tourist staying overnight in an extra room at the local school, and Ah-gui witnesses part of the intimate moment. The scene shatters the boundary between fantasy and real-life desire. It marks a turning point where secrets begin affecting their relationship.
The tourist departs, and Ah-hsian seems changed
After the tourist departs, Ah-hsian seems different, as if the encounter has awakened his romantic side. Ah-gui watches with a mix of wonder and unease as the dynamic between them shifts. The change complicates their plans to escape their town.
Years pass; Ah-gui enters cosmetology school
Years pass and Ah-gui enrolls in cosmetology school, battling the demands of a disability that makes color perception a constant obstacle. Instructors berate her and Ah-hsian teases her, yet she clings to the hope of leaving their gray world behind. Her determination to dream big remains intact.
Ah-hsian's harbor-all-night date with a new boyfriend
Ah-hsian arranges an all-night harbor date with his new boyfriend, and Ah-gui reluctantly accompanies them, pretending to be asleep as they talk. The scene exposes jealousy, longing, and the fragile ties that bind them to their shared dream. It foreshadows the emotional costs of their pursuit of escape.
The hair is hacked; money plan foiled
The next day, Ah-gui hacks the hair from her practice head in a burst of anger. She tries to borrow a thousand dollars from Ah-hsian to replace the mannequin, but he demands repayment by referencing New York rents, prompting her to tell him to keep his money. The two clash over money, independence, and the illusion of a shared future.
Discovery of money in uncle's hiding place
While delivering dinner to her uncle, Ah-gui discovers a hidden stash of money in one of his hiding places. The money gives her the means to plan a future beyond the town. The moment underscores how small discoveries can catalyze big life movements.
A trip plan to a color-blind Pacific island
She consults a travel agent to plan a pilgrimage to a small Pacific island where color-blind people fit in. The travel plan represents a beacon of hope, even as obstacles and feelings complicate the path. The dream of belonging becomes a tangible goal.
Jealousy, betrayal, and confession
Ah-hsian's boyfriend is found with another person, triggering a fight that leads to a long, controversial confession in a church confessional. Ah-hsian delivers a nearly perfect English soliloquy quoting a famous love poem, portending a sad ending. The moment crystallizes the fragility of their dreams and the heavy weight of truth.
Tragedy and aftermath — suicide and coma
News of a suicide arrives; Ah-gui rushes to the hospital and learns Ah-hsian is in a coma. She expresses disappointment and questions who will take her away now. The scene seals the sense of loss as she sits by his bedside and speaks to him in hope.
Final rainbow moment at grandmother's home
Back at home, Ah-gui's grandmother makes umbrellas, and in a symbolic gesture she gives the grandmother a blue umbrella while keeping the yellow one for herself to twirl. Looking toward the horizon, she proclaims, Look a rainbow, signaling a fragile, personal hope amid tragedy.
Somewhere I Have Never Travelled Characters
Explore all characters from Somewhere I Have Never Travelled (2009). Get detailed profiles with their roles, arcs, and key relationships explained.
Travel Agent (Lin Mei-Shiu)
A practical bridge to the wider world, she helps Ah-gui plan a trip and represents the possibility of escape beyond the town. She embodies the outside world and the potential for new experiences.
Grandma (Mei Fang)
A steady matriarch who keeps the family grounded, making umbrellas and providing a steadying presence in the household. She anchors the family through ordinary, intimate moments.
Ah-hsian (Austin Lin)
A grand storyteller and dreamer who imagines travel possibilities. He treats love as a central quest and uses imagination to cope with the drabness of their town.
Uncle
A family member who hides money in his home, illustrating the imperfect and sometimes chaotic domestic life in which Ah-gui grows up.
Ah-Gui (child)
A color-blind girl whose world appears in grayscale. She relies on her cousin and imagination to escape the drabness of her environment.
Ah-Gui
The older version of Ah-Gui continues to navigate a colorless world while clinging to dreams of escape and connection with her cousin.
Somewhere I Have Never Travelled Settings
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Location
Southern Taiwan port town
Set in a small, lazy port town in southern Taiwan, the film anchors its mood in a quiet, working-class harbor. The streets, a local school, and an umbrella shop create a backdrop of routine desperation and small wonders. The town's slow tempo amplifies the characters’ longing to dream beyond its gray and white reality.
Somewhere I Have Never Travelled Themes
Discover the main themes in Somewhere I Have Never Travelled (2009). Analyze the deeper meanings, emotional layers, and social commentary behind the film.
🌈
Dreams
Ah-hsian's stories turn the world into a spectrum of possibility that contrasts with the color-blind reality of Ah-gui. Imaginary journeys break the monochrome of their town and give them a sense of agency. The film uses fantasy as a coping mechanism to deal with loneliness and social constraints. Yet these dreams collide with real consequences, revealing the fragility of escape.
💔
Love and Loss
Love for Ah-hsian and Ah-gui is portrayed as both idealistic and risky, with the pursuit of 'True Love' leading to jealousy and heartbreak. The couple's closeness is destabilized by external attractions and internal contradictions. The film uses intimate moments, including a secret encounter and a church confession, to explore how love can wound and shape choices. The consequence of such love tests loyalty and resilience.
🧭
Identity
Color-blindness serves as a metaphor for difference and belonging in a narrow town. The youths struggle with being perceived as 'other' while trying to define themselves beyond family expectations. The journey from childhood dreams to adult disillusionment probes how identity is formed through desire, risk, and connection. Escape is shown as both an outward voyage and an inward reinvention.
Somewhere I Have Never Travelled Spoiler-Free Summary
Discover the spoiler-free summary of Somewhere I Have Never Travelled (2009). Get a concise overview without any spoilers.
In a slow‑moving port town on Taiwan’s southern coast, daily life feels muted, as if the world itself has lost its hue. The streets are lined with weathered houses and the sea’s gray mist, setting a tone that mixes gentle humor with an underlying sense of isolation. Within this muted backdrop lives Ah‑gui, a young woman whose color‑blindness makes the world literally and metaphorically distant. Her grandmother, a pragmatic matriarch, seeks solace for her granddaughter in a local shaman, whose cryptic words hint at an inner wandering spirit that may yet find its way home.
Ah‑hsian, Ah‑gui’s cousin, is a bookish dreamer whose imagination turns travel guides into portals. He becomes the conduit between the drab present and far‑off possibilities, recounting tales of a remote South Pacific island where an entire community shares Ah‑gui’s genetic condition. These stories are more than escapism; they offer a quiet promise that belonging might be found beyond the familiar shoreline. Their bond is formed through shared silence, whispered hopes, and the simple, stubborn act of imagining color where none can be seen.
The film’s atmosphere balances the soft melancholy of ordinary routines with moments of lyricism, inviting the audience to sense both the weight of limitation and the buoyancy of dreams. As Ah‑gui navigates school, work, and the expectations of her close‑knit community, the narrative lingers on her yearning for a place where her perception is not an oddity but a shared reality. The world she inhabits feels both intimate and vast, leaving viewers with an aching curiosity about the horizons she might someday pursue.
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