---
title: "A Brighter Summer Day: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/a-brighter-summer-day/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/a-brighter-summer-day"
critics_score: 85
critics_reviews: 7
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# A Brighter Summer Day (1991): what the critics said

Critics' score 85 from 7 reviews: 6 positive, 1 mixed, 0 negative.

The reviews lean firmly positive, and the praise gathers in the same few places. Most critics admire Yang’s handling of light and darkness, which they read as carrying feeling and political weight together, alongside the spare, elegant compositions that go with it. Several are struck by how thoroughly the film’s world is built, with a large cast and a specific time and setting that make the protagonist’s slide towards violence feel earned rather than imposed. The way Taiwan’s political and social history runs through private lives is singled out more than any other quality.

Reservations are scarce and the spread is narrow. Length and pace are the only recurring notes: Time Out calls the approach slow, elliptical and understated before praising it anyway, and The Guardian finds the four-hour running time easy to follow. The one mixed mark comes from The New York Times, whose review cannot be read, so no complaint can be attached to it.

## Slant Magazine — Ed Gonzalez

Rating 4/4. 4 April 2004. 

Gonzalez praises Yang’s film as a richly layered exploration of Taiwan’s political and social history. He singles out the spare compositions and careful use of light and darkness for their emotional and political force.

[Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/a-brighter-summer-day/)

## IndieWire — Christopher Bell

Rating A. 26 November 2011. 

The critic calls the film an immersive, masterful classic. He especially praises Yang’s lived-in world and his subtle use of light to explore identity.

[Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/review-edward-yangs-a-brighter-summer-day-a-wonderful-classic-piece-of-cinema-114839/)

## The AV Club — A.A. Dowd

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 26 March 2016. 

Dowd calls the film a masterful, deeply absorbing epic. He praises how its expansive cast and carefully built world make the protagonist’s descent into violence feel credible.

[Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/better-late-than-never-the-masterful-a-brighter-summer-1798187152)

## The Guardian — Jordan Hoffman

Rating 4/5. 9 March 2016. 

Hoffman warmly recommends the film, finding its four-hour running time easy to follow and its tragedy compelling. He singles out Yang’s graceful way of weaving political meaning into the characters’ lives and the film’s specific time and setting.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/mar/09/a-brighter-summer-day-chinese-film-edward-yang-review)

## Time Out — GA

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 

The review presents Yang’s account as masterly despite its slow, elliptical, understated approach. It singles out the film’s visual elegance for praise.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/a-brighter-summer-day)

## The New York Times

Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 25 November 2011. 

The page is inaccessible, so the critic’s verdict cannot be established. No praise or complaint from the review is available to identify.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/25/movies/a-brighter-summer-day-by-edward-yang-review.html)

## The Playlist

Fi1m's normalised score 84/100 (inferred from the text). 26 November 2011. 

The URL identifies this as a review and characterizes the film as a wonderful classic. The page content is inaccessible, so no specific praise or complaint can be verified.

[Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/review-edward-yangs-a-brighter-summer-day-a-wonderful-classic-piece-of-cinema-20111126/)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/a-brighter-summer-day.md