In Taiwan during the 1950’s there was a period known as the ‘White Terror.’ It was a time when the anti-Communist campaign swept the island and hysteria reigned. Prince of Tears, produced by Fruit Chan and directed by Yonfan, is a paramount historical drama about the lives of four people who lived tragic roles during this solemn era. This is a drama of love, friendship, betrayal, and compromise surrounding an air force pilot Sun, his devoted wife, their friend and government official Ding, and the bewitching wife of general Ou-Yang. Yonfan proves his talent for storytelling by relating the white terror era in a subdued voice. This storyteller recreates the characters of this era, not by being weighed down by wrath and sorrow, but rather through captivating nostalgia. Sun’s child grows up reading [Prince of Tears] and later becomes a star in Taiwan. All the more like a film because it is so dramatic, this is really a true story. (KANG So-won)