Filmed during the martial law period and banned by the Kuomintang regime due to its homosexual undercurrents and likely for its political overtones, The End of the Track is a landmark in Taiwanese cinema. Friends Tong and Yongsheng are inseparable. They are best friends who spend their time wandering the countryside, training for athletics, and hanging out at the dumpling stall operated by Yongsheng’s parents. Tun-Fei Mou’s film makes a quietly radical statement about repressed desire, examining the psychological impact of trauma on a young boy. Formally innovative and emotionally charged, this heartbreaking classic is one of the earliest examples of queer cinema in Taiwan.

Introduction by Professor Chris Berry, King’s College London.