Taiwanese documentary: Jump! Boys

I just caught “Jump! Boys” (翻滾吧!男孩) on DVD. “Jump! Boys” is a Taiwanese documentary about of a group of boys who train in gymnastics daily under the supervision of a stern coach who is the director’s brother. The film is a success by simply capturing a good share of human moments. The boys cry, fight, horse around, get scolded by their coach, win, and get better at gymnastics. The film premiered in 2004, and additional footage of the boys that shows how they developed in the following year was added in 2005. The DVD has English subtitles, which is such a pleasant surprise that I won’t complain about their quality.

I found an article from the Taipei Times about recent Taiwanese documentaries. There is a quote from the director of “Jump! Boys,” Lin Yu-hsien, in which he tries to explain the success of his documentary. Like it or not, I think he’s on the mark:

Lately everybody feels that documentaries are popular and great and that they can save Taiwan's film industry, so we should all just stick to making documentaries. But this is wrong," Lin said. "I think we were noticed because we provided a different style of movie. Taiwan's movies are too depressing: Life is hardship and people don't to go to the theater to see more hardship. Our film is energetic and funny, and that's why people noticed it -- not because it is a documentary.