AhChung

The story concerns a male youth named Ah Chung or Diongah in the Taiwanese dialect who graduates from high school and descends into a maelstrom of personal familial and communal conflicts Ah Chung is going through the liminal stage of finding his place and aim in life He is sent by his mother to a boot camp training as one of the Eight Generals This is a job in performing as a god in Taiwanese popular rituals and Ah Chungs mother believes it can bring spiritual and social goodwill to the muchtroubled family Financially strained mother who is a performer of lowbrow entertainment a kid brother who is somewhat retarded a halfsister who is raped by his alcoholic father and Ah Chungs listlessness which is easily sucked in by the local gang rivalry