Bringemovies
← Browse Movies
Poster unavailable
TITLE DETAILS

Hsien-Yung Pai

2015-12-18 · 106 min · Not rated

Documentary

Pai Hsien-yung has lent Chinese-language literature some of its most colorful and most memorable characters, and served as the inspiration of multiple generations of artists working in mediums as different as television, film, and theatre. From the youthful air of the Modern Literature magazine, which he helped launch at the age of 22, to the humanistic sincerity in his recent works My Father and the Republic and Healing the Pain, Pai looks back on his 29 years teaching at Santa Barbara, a four-decade relishing of Guilin rice noodles, and a return visit to the gardens of Suzhou after 10 years. Through the darkened realm of the stage, to the countless lectures and courses he taught, Pai has been at the forefront of literature for multiple generations, with his unique blend of resilience and tenderness reverberating through the film, and bringing audiences closer to his warmth as a novelist.

Open detail page

Trailers are previews, not full movies.

No authorized playback source configured. Use the legal watch options below.

Production details

Directors
Teng Yung-Shing
Production companies
Unavailable
Countries
Unavailable
Status
Released

Top Cast

Cast unavailable.

Title information and images are supplied by TMDb. Explore our discovery guide for advice on comparing metadata and legal viewing options.

Where to watch

Availability provided by JustWatch via TMDb. Offers can change. Provider links are listed on TMDb; full playback requires a separately authorized source.

Availability not listed for this country.

Recommendations

Come See Me in the Good Light
★ 7.0
Come See Me in the Good Light2025Documentary

In an intimate and joyful story of love in the face of loss, celebrated poets Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley find strength—and unexpected hilarity—in what might be their final year together.

Gilbert
★ 6.7
Gilbert2017Documentary

The life and career of one of comedy's most inimitable modern voices, Mr. Gilbert Gottfried.

The Cheshire Murders
★ 6.5
The Cheshire Murders2013Documentary

In the early-morning hours of July 23, 2007, in Cheshire, Conn., ex-convicts Steven Hayes and Joshua Komisarjevsky broke into the family home of William Petit, his wife, Jennifer, and their daughters, Michaela, 11, and Hayley, 17. Dr. Petit was beaten and tied to a pole in the basement. The three women were bound in their bedrooms while the men ransacked the house. The brutal ordeal continued throughout the morning, ending with rape, arson and a horrific triple homicide.

Charlie: The Life and Art of Charles Chaplin
★ 7.0
Charlie: The Life and Art of Charles Chaplin2003Documentary

Brilliant, long in-the-works story of the life and art of the world's greatest comedian and the cinema's first genius, Charlie Chaplin. Produced, written and directed by renowned film critic Richard Schickel.

I Am Heath Ledger
★ 7.4
I Am Heath Ledger2017Documentary

The life and career of an actor, artist, and icon. His own journey through his own camera.

As I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty
★ 7.8
As I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty2000Documentary

A compilation of over 30 years of private home movie footage shot by Lithuanian-American avant-garde director Jonas Mekas, assembled by Mekas "purely by chance", without concern for chronological order.

Struggle: The Life and Lost Art of Szukalski
★ 7.5
Struggle: The Life and Lost Art of Szukalski2018Documentary

Artists in LA discover the work of forgotten Polish sculptor Stanislav Szukalski, a mad genius whose true story unfolds chapter by astounding chapter.

My Mom Jayne
★ 8.0
My Mom Jayne2025Documentary

Through deeply personal interviews with her siblings and an examination of the photographs, letters, and belongings left behind, Mariska assembles a new portrait of her mother Jayne Mansfield, an extraordinary and complex woman.

For the Love of Spock
★ 7.4
For the Love of Spock2016Documentary

The life of Mr. Spock, as well as that of Leonard Nimoy, the actor who played him for almost fifty years, written and directed by his son: Adam.

Chris Brown: Welcome to My Life
★ 6.4
Chris Brown: Welcome to My Life2017Documentary

This compelling Documentary moves beyond the spotlight and past the attention-grabbing headlines to give pop superstar Chris Brown a chance to tell his own story. New interviews with the international phenomenon reveal long-awaited answers about his passion for making music, his tumultuous and much publicized relationships, and the pitfalls of coming of age in the public eye. Also included is new concert footage, behind-the-scenes access, and special interviews from Usher, Jennifer Lopez, DJ Khaled, Mike Tyson, Jamie Foxx and others.

Harry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction
★ 6.9
Harry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction2013Documentary

An impressionistic portrait of the iconic actor Harry Dean Stanton comprised of intimate moments, film clips from some of his 250 films and his renditions of American folk songs.

Harmontown
★ 6.6
Harmontown2014Documentary

A comedic, brutally honest documentary following self-destructive TV writer Dan Harmon as he takes his live podcast on a national tour.

Marvel's Behind the Mask
★ 7.0
Marvel's Behind the Mask2021Documentary

A documentary special that explores the power of identity behind the iconic superheroes we know and love today. These legendary Marvel creations and stories have not only reflected the world outside our window – they have become a reflection of our own identities and who we truly are.

Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God
★ 7.3
Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God2012Documentary

Alex Gibney explores the charged issue of pedophilia in the Catholic Church, following a trail from the first known protest against clerical sexual abuse in the United States and all way to the Vatican.

Chadwick Boseman: A Tribute for a King
★ 8.1
Chadwick Boseman: A Tribute for a King2020Documentary

A tribute to Chadwick Boseman, celebrating his life and legacy.

Sidney
★ 6.9
Sidney2022Documentary

This revealing documentary honors the legendary Sidney Poitier—iconic actor, filmmaker, and civil rights activist. Featuring interviews with Denzel Washington, Spike Lee, Halle Berry, and more.

David Bowie: Five Years
★ 7.5
David Bowie: Five Years2013Documentary

Featuring a wealth of previously unseen archive, this film looks at how Bowie continually evolved: from Ziggy Stardust to the Soul Star of Young Americans, to the ‘Thin White Duke’. It explores his regeneration in Berlin with the critically acclaimed album Heroes, his triumph with Scary Monsters and his global success with Let’s Dance. With interviews with all his closest collaborators, David Bowie - Five Years presents a unique account of why Bowie has become an ‘icon of our times’.

The Curse of the Dragon
★ 7.2
The Curse of the Dragon1993Documentary

A 1993 documentary film about Bruce Lee. The film includes interviews from some of his fellow students and opponents who worked alongside him in his movies.

Whitney: Can I Be Me
★ 6.6
Whitney: Can I Be Me2017Documentary

The life and tragic death of Whitney Houston.

Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story
★ 6.2
Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story2025Documentary

Unravel the case of Utah therapist Jodi Hildebrandt, whose child abuse arrest with parenting YouTuber Ruby Franke exposed a twisted tale of manipulation.

Similar titles

In Search of Dracula
★ 8.0
In Search of Dracula2020Documentary

Mark Gatiss explores and celebrates Dracula, an icon of popular culture, asking just why we keep coming back to the count.

Strijdmakker
Not rated
Strijdmakker2025Documentary

VPRO icon Wim Brands died on April 4, 2016. He was known to the general public as a presenter of the VPRO Boeken program and also closer, with six collections of poetry to his name. This documentary about his life and work, built entirely from archive material, pays tribute to this television personality. A portrait in which attention is also paid to his complicated relationship with death. With a.o. Karl Ove Knausgård, David Sedaris, Ellen Deckwitz and Pieter Boskma. Brands' work merges with his rich inner life and that he chose death at the age of 56 casts a shadow over everything.

The Last Bookshop of The World
Not rated
The Last Bookshop of The World2017Documentary

The documentary is a true story of four real intellectual Europeans from different cultures who are worried about the decline of literature’s life and the destiny of the street level bookshops in every country. That is why they have a mission to save symbolically “the world's last quality books”.

I Think You're Totally Wrong: A Quarrel
★ 1.0
I Think You're Totally Wrong: A Quarrel2014Documentary

On the first day of shooting, James Franco, David Shields, and Caleb Powell throw out the script when a real-life argument breaks out between the three of them about what can and can't be used in the film. Shields and Franco browbeat Powell to sacrifice everything for the sake of the film; Powell threatens to leave; Shields feels guilty about betraying Powell; and Franco wants Shields and Powell to confess all for the sake of the film. A debate, nearly to the death, about life and art.

I Am Joke, Said Joke
Not rated
I Am Joke, Said Joke2017Documentary

Documentary about the Dutch author, illustrator and performer Joke van Leeuwen, who has won various awards for her literature for children which sometimes uses a quest as a theme.

Poster unavailable
Not rated
Pod hasprunskou slivkou2002Documentary

The Emma Bovary Trial
★ 6.6
The Emma Bovary Trial2021Documentary

On January 31, 1857, the French writer Gustave Flaubert (1821-80) took his place in the dock for contempt of public morality and religion. The accused, the real one, is, through him, Emma Bovary, heroine with a thousand faces and a thousand desires, guilty without doubt of an unforgivable desire to live.

Killer, Trader and Psychopath: The America of Bret Easton Ellis
★ 6.1
Killer, Trader and Psychopath: The America of Bret Easton Ellis2021Documentary

In 1991, American Psycho, the third novel by controversial writer Bret Easton Ellis, provoked heated discussions among critics and readers alike; an extraordinarily disturbing book that transported its readers into the mind of Patrick Bateman, a cynical mergers and acquisitions executive obsessed with brands, inconsequential details, pop culture and brutal murder.

Beatriz Portinari. A Documentary on Aurora Venturini
★ 5.0
Beatriz Portinari. A Documentary on Aurora Venturini2013Documentary

Beatriz Portinari is not only the name of the inspiring muse of Dante Alighieri, but also the pseudonym with which the Platense writer Aurora Venturini was presented in 2007 to the Nueva Novela contest, organized by the newspaper Página 12, in which she won the grand prize for their work The bonuses. Full of mischief and grace, vitality and mystery, with great character and lucidity, this woman who throughout her ninety-one years never stopped writing, had a life totally linked to the literature and history of the twentieth century: she knew , was a friend and worked with Eva Perón in a minority center; in his exile he became associated with Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre, among others; and received a prize from Jorge Luis Borges, among many other things.

Tunisian Literature at the French National Library
Not rated
Tunisian Literature at the French National Library1986Documentary

Commemorating the 1986 Tunis-Paris exhibition Privileged Spaces and Times: French-Speaking Intellectual Production in Tunisia, Sarah Maldoror’s film points the way toward a more polyvocal understanding of the role of France’s National Library worldwide.

Poster unavailable
Not rated
José Saramago : le temps d’une mémoire2003Documentary

Jean de la Fontaine and His Fables
★ 7.5
Jean de la Fontaine and His Fables2021Documentary

An account of the life of the French poet Jean de la Fontaine (1621-95), author of more than one hundred fables and a model for many other European fabulists of later times.

Who's Afraid of Lady Chatterley?
★ 8.0
Who's Afraid of Lady Chatterley?2020Documentary

England, 1960. The Crown sues the publisher Penguin Books in order to ban the publication of Lady Chatterley's Lover, a novel by the British writer D. H. Lawrence (1885-1930), published privately in Italy in 1928, which celebrates nature and deals with sex without taboos.

Poster unavailable
Not rated
Stefan Zweig - Histoire d'un européen2013Documentary

Stefan Zweig was the most read author of the German language in the 1930s. He believed in a united, peaceful Europe and travelled most parts of the world. He was a pacifist and was torn apart by to the cruelties and horrors of the second World War. He committed suicide in Brasil. This documentary tells the story of his life.

Dangerous Liaisons: A Feminist Manifesto?
★ 7.3
Dangerous Liaisons: A Feminist Manifesto?2021Documentary

Well known for its exploration of seduction and revenge, the “Dangerous Liaisons” by Choderlos de Laclos caused a scandal from its first publication in 1782. Despite – or because of the scandal – the book was a top-seller. Since then, it stood the test of time. Combining eras, continents and people, the novel is adapted around the world. Marvelous tool for reflection on the female condition, social satire announcing the Revolution, remarkable work on the conflicting nature of love but also of the gender war, consecration of the power of the words, a libertine manual… “Dangerous Liaisons” is all of these at once.

Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage
★ 7.5
Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage2010Documentary

An in-depth look at the Canadian rock band Rush, chronicling the band's musical evolution from their progressive rock sound of the '70s to their current heavy rock style.

Wood Mountain Poems
★ 7.0
Wood Mountain Poems1978Documentary

In this short documentary, Canadian poet Andrew Suknaski introduces us to Wood Mountain, the south central Saskatchewan village he calls home. In between musings on his poetry, which is tinged with nostalgia and the vast loneliness of the plains, the poet discusses the area’s multicultural background and Native heritage, as well as the customs and stories of these various ethnic groups.

Poster unavailable
Not rated
Vom Glanz und Vergehen der Gruppe 472008Documentary

Founded in 1947, “Group 47” made half‐yearly authors read publicly and endure brutal critique, launching postwar German literature (including Nobel winners). Its 1967 end still influences writers; veterans recall its power, while Kehlmann and Biller debate a modern equivalent.

Poster unavailable
★ 6.0
Provocando con Sampedro2014Documentary

Lunas de Nueva York
Not rated
Lunas de Nueva York2015Documentary

First film of Juan José Ponce’s trilogy about Federico García Lorca. Lunas de Nueva York looks back on Federico’s trip to New York in 1929, an essential journey for his life and career.

Your favorites

Recently viewed

Watch

Choose an authorized server.

Full video from an operator-configured authorized source. Official trailers use a separate player. If a server fails, retry or select another authorized server.

Legal watch options

Official trailer

Trailer preview only. Press Play to start.

Privacy choices

Favorites stay in your browser. Movie images load from TMDb. YouTube trailers contact YouTube only after you allow external media and choose a trailer. Advertising consent, if ads are enabled, is managed separately by the operator’s certified CMP.

Privacy policy

After allowing external media, choose the trailer button to load its player.