Bao, an adolescent from an upper-middle-class home, is deposited by his work-distracted father at his grandfather’s house in the countryside near Taipei for the summer. Life at Grandpa’s confronts Bao with a few rude shocks: there’s no cable TV and Grandpa, who’s curmudgeonly but sweet, wants to induct the initially reluctant Bao into the local style of life. Eventually, Bao befriends his new classmates, especially little charismatic showman Ming-chuan. It seems as if the film will settle into a gentle, glowing, elegiac groove. But Chang is merely setting up the elements for a deeply moving second act. More complicated shadows imperceptibly creep into the frame: Bao’s parents are negotiating a divorce; Bao’s young teacher has family secrets of her own.

With poetic visuals and sporadic touches of humor, the film deals with such deeper themes as loss, separation, and secrecy.

Variety:

Delicate and poetic, but full of offbeat humor, this coming-of-age is Taiwanese auteur Chang Tso-chi's most accessible work to date.

DIRECTOR'S BIO

Chang Tso-chi entered the film industry as an assistant director for Yu Kan-ping and the Hong Kong directors, Yim Ho and Tsui Hark. His directorial debut AH CHUNG (1996) won the Special Jury Prize at Asia-Pacific Film Festival and the New Currents award at Busan International Film Festival. Chang’s WHEN LOVE COMES (AAIFF’11) won the Golden Horse Award in 2010.

由於爸媽正協議離婚，小寶在學期末時被送到了屈尺，陪伴他剛獨居不久的爺爺。悶悶不樂的他，只好帶著暑假作業和心愛的平版電腦，轉入了當地一所全校僅有27個學生的「小學」…。

    小寶很快發現，班上竟有個跟他有著相同綽號「大熊」的女孩。大熊和弟妹們，跟著以拾荒維生的阿嬤生活在一起，家境雖一貧如洗，卻過得相當快樂！而偷偷喜歡大熊的一個原住民男孩名詮，也和小寶結成了莫逆，讓他一掃爸媽分居的陰霾…。

    他們引領著小寶，在這個蟬鳴鳥叫的桃花源裡，找回了一個屬於他自己的暑假童年；卻也在暑假快結束時，重新啟發了他對生命和成長的探知…。