Your Name Engraved Herein

For this film's theme song, see Your Name Engraved Herein (song).

Your Name Engraved Herein
Movie poster
Chinese	刻在你心底的名字
Hanyu Pinyin	Kè Zài Nǐ Xīndǐ De Míngzì
Directed by	Patrick Kuang-Hui Liu
Written by	Yu-Ning Chu Jie Zhan Alcatel Wu
Produced by	Yu-Ning Chu Danielle Yen Liu Zhi-Syuan
Starring	Edward Chen Tseng Jing-Hua Leon Dai
Music by	Chris Hou Jason Huang
Distributed by	Sony Pictures (Taiwan; theatrical) Netflix (Worldwide; OTT)
Release date	March 2020 (2020-03) (Osaka Asian Film Festival)
Running time	114 minutes
Country	Taiwan
Language	Mandarin

Your Name Engraved Herein (Chinese: 刻在你心底的名字; pinyin: Kè zài nǐ xīndǐ de míngzì; lit. 'The name engraved in your heart') is a 2020 Taiwanese romantic drama film directed by Patrick Kuang-Hui Liu and starring Edward Chen, Jing-Hua Tseng, and Leon Dai. The film premiered in Taiwan on September 30, followed by a global release on Netflix on December 23. Your Name Engraved Herein is the highest-grossing LGBT film in Taiwan's history, as well as the most popular Taiwanese film of 2020, ultimately becoming the first gay-themed film to exceed NT$100 million at the Taiwanese box office.

The film received five Golden Horse Award nominations, winning for Best Cinematography and Best Original Film Song.

Synopsis

As martial law ends in 1987 in Taiwan, two male students, Chang Jia-han (A-han) and Wang Bo Te (Birdy), fall in love amid family pressure, homophobia, and broader social change. A new student, Birdy, arrives at an all-boys Catholic high school, where he and A-han soon become best friends; both are musicians in the school band, where they engage in antics while exchanging long glances. The school's priest and band leader, Father Oliver, reminds the students to "profiter du moment" (live in the moment), leading A-han to deepen his bond with Birdy. The two boys take a trip to Taipei—ostensibly to mourn the death of President Chiang Ching-kuo—and grow closer through their adventures in the capital. Despite mutual interest, the pair remain hesitant to act on their budding attraction. The introduction of co-educational schooling adds a wrinkle to their relationship, as the arrival of female students irrevocably transforms classroom dynamics. Birdy catches the eye of a female classmate, who offers the hope of socially-acceptable heterosexual romance, but A-han holds onto his affection for Birdy. Repeated incidents of conflict and reconciliation draw the pair together and break them apart, before fate finally takes them in different directions.

Plot

Chang Jia-han (Edward Chen), known as A-han, meets school priest and band leader Father Oliver (Fabio Grangeon) to discuss a recent fight. Father Oliver assumes it was over a girl that A-han likes, but A-han does not respond.

Set in Taiwan as martial law ends in 1987, Wang Po Te (Tseng Jing-Hua), nicknamed Birdy, transfers to A-han's all-boys Catholic high school. Their first encounter takes place during a pool training session, where A-han begins to take an interest in Birdy.

Later, Birdy sneaks into A-han's dorm to borrow soap. Meanwhile, A-han and his friends plan to sneak out of the dorms. As they attempt to climb the wall, Birdy returns from buying food, startling the group. The boys end up in a cemetery, where they play band songs for a group of girls. While A-han's friends pair off with the girls, one girl approaches him, but after he fails to become erect, he apologizes.

In band class, Father Oliver teaches the students to live in the moment ("profiter du moment") and discusses youth and love. As he shares his first love story, A-han and Birdy exchange glances and smile at each other.

That evening, Birdy is caught sneaking out by the dorm head and disciplined with corporal punishment. A-han goes to the showers to apply ointment to Birdy's wounds. While waiting for Birdy, A-han witnesses his friend Horn and his group bullying and assaulting a homosexual student. As A-han and Birdy hide in a shower stall, the bullies attempt to humiliate the student by threatening him with a lighter. A-han intervenes to stop them, but the bullies try to pressure him into joining their violence against the boy. As A-han hesitates, Birdy steps out of the stall, helps the student, and walks away with him. Horn later asks A-han if he and Birdy were in the same stall, but A-han denies it. Birdy later sneaks into A-han's bed and shares snacks stolen from the dorm head's office. The two sneak out; Birdy urinates inside the dorm head's car while A-han watches.

After the death of President Chiang Ching-kuo is announced, Birdy and A-han travel to Taipei to mourn on behalf of their school, and the two grow closer during their time in the capital. They witness a protester, Chi Chia-wei, holding a sign reading "Homosexuality is not a disease!" Police violently detain the protester, and A-han stops an enraged Birdy from intervening. At a video salon, while watching the film Birdy, A-han leans in to kiss a sleeping Birdy but is interrupted by room service. Throughout their trip, they share intimate moments and meaningful conversations but never act on their attraction.

The summer after their trip, A-han remains melancholic due to conflicting feelings about his sexuality. A-han's mother buys him a scooter to cheer him up. The two boys ride it together, watch films, and steal movie posters. They sneak into a projection booth, where Birdy shares his dream of becoming a filmmaker and asks A-han to attend film school with him in Taipei. They are caught by the cinema owner and kicked out. The next morning, A-han experiences a wet dream about Birdy.

When the new school semester begins, the introduction of co-education alters the dynamics, though strict rules still govern interaction between the sexes. Horn and his group warn A-han about Birdy, labeling him a "weirdo" as they are in the same class. In band class, a dispute arises over the policy separating boys and girls. A female student, Wu Ruo-fei, nick-named Ban-ban, stands up to a school official, and Birdy supports her, sparking mutual interest between them.

After facing increasing accusations of homosexuality and ridicule for performing an effeminate song at a military competition, Birdy finds comfort in Ban-ban's company, and as they become closer, A-han becomes jealous. He prays in a chapel for clarity, but when Birdy taunts him for not having a girlfriend and offers to introduce him to someone, A-han accuses Birdy of manipulating his feelings. Birdy asks A-han to stop trying to spend time alone with him. A-han then goes out with a girl he previously met, who suggests he confess his feelings through a pager. A-han sends a message to Birdy but receives no response, as Birdy is with Ban-Ban.

One night, A-han helps Birdy steal a giant balloon for a prank. The next morning, the prank turns out to be Birdy's love confession to Ban-ban, which upsets A-han. Seeking solace, A-han meets an older man who tries to comfort him, but when the man makes a sexual advance, A-han pushes him away. Later, A-han confides in Father Oliver, expressing that he would rather go to hell if it means being understood by others.

A-han finds Birdy after he wrecks the scooter in an accident. Back at the dorms, A-han helps Birdy shower due to his injury, and also performs a handjob, with Birdy initially resisting before giving in to his desire. As Birdy climaxes, he kisses A-han and apologizes. They share an emotional, intimate moment filled with conflicting feelings of love, pain, shame, and desire.

Afterward, Birdy begins to distance himself from a confused A-han. It is revealed that Ban-ban has been expelled from the school, while Birdy receives only detention for the balloon confession. Birdy's father arrives at the school and beats him for not focusing on his education. A-han tries to intervene, and the two boys fight after A-han attempts to take the blame for the confession. The fight is broken up by teachers and Father Oliver before the scene cuts to A-han's conversation with Father Oliver, who reflects on his own youth and rebelliousness and offers to pray for A-han. They are interrupted by Horn, who tells A-han to go home. Learning that Birdy is there, he rushes out to see him.

At home, A-han's parents advise him not to fight with Birdy over a girl. Frustrated by his inability to reveal the truth, A-han nearly comes out to his parents during a heated argument with Birdy. He runs away and rides a ferry to Penghu, followed by Birdy. There, A-han vents his frustrations and the two go skinny-dipping. While lying naked on the beach, A-han gently touches Birdy, then kisses him. Birdy reciprocates, but afterward, they part ways. Birdy moves away to focus on his university exams, and A-han calls him one last time to confess his love, playing the song Your Name Engraved Herein by Crowd Lu. Both boys break down in tears, heartbroken.

Years later, a middle-aged A-han attends his school's marching band reunion, hoping to see Birdy again but without success. He meets and reconnects with Ban-ban, now Birdy's ex-wife and mother of his children. When asked about Birdy, Ban-ban explains they rarely see each other. She reflects on how Birdy's refusal to acknowledge his sexuality has affected their lives and expresses regret that he never confided in her. A-han later travels to Canada to visit Father Oliver's grave and meets with the priest's former lover, who reveals how Father Oliver struggled with his homosexuality and turned to religion to suppress his desires.

Still troubled by his unresolved feelings for Birdy, A-han unexpectedly encounters him outside a bar. They reminisce about their past, and Birdy admits that he truly loved A-han but was unable to accept it at the time. A-han invites Birdy to his accommodation, but Birdy declines and instead agrees to walk with him. As they walk, a younger version of A-han begins singing Your Name Engraved Herein, and a younger Birdy joins in. The film ends with the older A-han and Birdy watching their younger selves sing and skip through the alley together.

Cast

• Edward Chen (陳昊森) as Chang Jia-han (張家漢) nicknamed "A-Han" (阿漢)
  • Leon Dai (戴立忍) as a middle-aged Chang Jia-han
• Jing-hua Tseng (曾敬驊) as Wang Po Te (王柏德) nicknamed "Birdy"
  • Jason Wang (王識賢) as a middle-aged Birdy
• Fabio Grangeon (法比歐) as Father Oliver
• Mimi Shao (邵奕玫) as Wu Ruo-fei (吳若非), nicknamed Ban-Ban (班班)
  • Waa Wei (魏如萱) as a middle-aged Ban-Ban

Trivia

The film opens with a line from Song of Solomon 8:7 "Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it", presaging the tension between the protagonist's Catholic faith and his love for a fellow male student.

An homage to noted Taiwanese gay rights activist Chi Chia-wei appears in the film. While in Taipei, Birdy and A-Han see a protester on an overhead bridge, holding a sign that declares, "Homosexuality is not a disease!" Police violently detain the protester, while A-Han restrains an outraged Birdy and prevents him from intervening. The outfit, sign and protest location reflect Chi's real-life demonstrations.

The theme song Your Name Engraved Herein, performed by singer Crowd Lu and lead actor Edward Chen, was composed by Malaysian songwriters Keon Chia (Chia Wang) and Dr. Hooi Yuan Teng (Hsu Yuan-Ting), and Singaporean lawyer Tan Boon Wah (Chen Wen-Hua). The piece won Best Original Film Song at Taiwan's Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards, the Oscars of the Chinese-speaking world. As of December 2020, the music video has garnered more than 22 million views on YouTube.

This film's scene was based in Viator catholic high school, Taichung.

Release and reception

Your Name Engraved Herein is the highest-grossing LGBT film in Taiwan's history, as well as the most popular Taiwanese film of 2020, ultimately becoming the first gay-themed movie to exceed NT$100 million at the Taiwanese box office.

The film received five Golden Horse Award nominations, winning for Best Cinematography and Best Original Film Song.

On Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator site, the film has a rating of 90%, with an average score of 7.3/10.

Teo Bugbee of The New York Times reviewed the film, stating, "The director, Patrick Liu, has an eye for the way that physical desire manifests itself: the gestures of affection, the postures of people pretending not to acknowledge each other. He doesn’t rush the romance between the boys, and his patience allows the actors to develop believable chemistry. Though the movie could coast on the appeal of handsome faces and stolen trips to Taipei, Liu gives texture to their pretty pining."

Writing in Yahoo Lifestyle SEA, Teng Yong Ping suggests the "touching telephone call scene where Jia-han plays a love song he wrote for Birdy (the award-winning theme song) would likely turn on the waterworks for many viewers." However, Teng finds that the "heartfelt romantic storyline" is confused when "the last act of the film inexplicably fast-forwards the timeline by 30 years and transports the characters, now adult and played by Leon Dai and Jason Wang, to a current-day setting in Quebec City on the pretext of them attending the funeral of their former teacher, Father Oliver. This odd screenplay choice could be due to the film being partly funded by the Canadian government."

Awards

Year	Name	Category	Recipient	Result	Ref
2020	Osaka Asian Film Festival	Best Supporting Actor	Leon Dai	Won
2020	Taipei Film Awards	Best Supporting Actor	Leon Dai	Nominated
		Best New Performer	Edward Chen	Nominated
2020	São Paulo International Film Festival	Best New Director	Kuang-Hui Liu	Won
2020	Golden Horse Awards	Best Supporting Actor	Leon Dai	Nominated
		Best New Performer	Edward Chen	Nominated
		Best Cinematography	Yao Hongyi	Won
		Best Original Film Score	Hou Zhijian, Huang Yuxun	Nominated
		Best Original Film Song	"Your Name Engraved Herein" Music, Lyrics: Keon Chia (Chia Wang), Hooi Yuan Teng (Hsu Yuan-Ting), Tan Boon Wah (Chen Wen-Hua). Voice: Crowd Lu, Chen Haosen	Won

External links

• Your Name Engraved Herein at IMDb
• Your Name Engraved Herein at Rotten Tomatoes