Hunter Brothers 獵人兄弟
2024 – Taiwan – 109 min

Directed by Su Hung-En
Cast | Nokeh Kosang (Hsu Yi-Fan), Umin Boya, Nolay Piho, Amy Hsu, Libix buying Wu hailing, Wilang Lalin,
Wilson Liu Wei-Chen, Voice Ho
Screenplay | Su Hung-En
Cinematography | Liao Ching-Yao
Editing | Teng Chao-Chiang
Music | Tôn Thất An
Art Department | Chen Hsuan-Chao
Sound | Cheng Chou
Producers | Liao Ching-Sun, Steve Wang, Chen Pao-Yin

Yuci and Siring are brothers whose lives were turned upside down by a hunting accident that took their father’s life. Years later, Siring’s release from jail for the accident threatens Yuci’s peaceful life, especially when the fate of the family hunting ground is at stake. 
 
The devastating aftermath of an unspeakable tragedy tears a family apart in this heartbreaking story of brotherhood. As much a tense thriller about familial discord as it is a fascinating exploration into the ways of the modern Taiwanese indigenous community, the film depicts a world pulled apart between the opposite pulls of modernity and tradition.  

Premiere at the Hawai’i International Film Festival 2024
Asian premiere at the Kaohsiung Film Festival 2024

“Interestingly, some of the major projects I got in Taiwan, whether for film or as a songwriter/arranger were connected to Taiwanese ethnic groups. The two albums for Sam Liao were in Taigi (Taiwanese Hokkien), Leaf Yeh approached me for her album Migration, which was on Hakka. The musical play Auntie 阿姨 was in Hakka as well.
Director Su Hung En’s heritage was Truku (indigenous tribe from the mountains of Hualien) and Hoklo (Han) and Hunter Brothers was his first long feature after a string of documentaries and short films, all themed on the Truku community, the tension between modern life and the fading ancestral traditions, the marginalisation of the indigenous tribes in Taiwan. Being part of many minorities, whether they be ethnic, social, cultural, sexual or religious is reflected in the way I dive into very different musical styles and genres and create a landscape where they coexist. Call that identity, if you want. So immediately felt the pull for Hung En’s film when he contacted me to score for his debut feature. As I read the screenplay, I immediately began to envision the musical colour for his two brothers, the mother – she has Alzheimer, how I could I NOT relate to that?, and most of all, the mountainous forest.
The spirit of the ancestors was embodied by the bamboo flute. Hung En gave me a recording of a Truku folk tune and I developed most of the score from there. I composed a melody inspired by that tune and had it played in different types of flutes, each time asking for the sound to be as rough and raw as possible, then layered it with strings, percussion and piano or prepared piano.
For the final hunting scene that takes place on the mountains, I added a vocal group of seven singers to reinforce the ritualistic atmosphere. They are tie spirit of ancestors and the forest.”

Listen to the soundtrack (click image to open)