Representing the Unrepresentable: Cinema, Politics, and The Century Bloodshed Controversy

Written by Meng-Hao Li. The author describes the controversy surrounding the Taiwanese film The Century Bloodshed, inspired by the unresolved 1980 Lin family massacre. Responding to Wim Wenders’ claim that cinema should remain separate from politics, he argues that film inevitably engages with power and memory. Through debates over the film’s genre, his remarks, and the director’s background, the essay explores the ethical limits of representing historical trauma and Taiwan’s ongoing struggle to confront the legacy of the White Terror.