Beyond Beauty: Taiwan From Above (Blu-ray + DVD) (Taiwan Version) Blu-ray Region All, DVD Region 3

The phenomenon has now reached Taiwan with Beyond Beauty: Taiwan from Above. Edited from 400 hours of aerial footage shot by director Chi Po Lin, Beyond Beauty showcases virtually all aspects of Taiwan, from its mountains to its crowded cities. Capturing remote areas that are virtually impossible for normal people to reach, the film showed a side of Taiwan that even locals rarely get to see. The result was a tremendously successful film that broke box office records at home.

Essentially a feature-length montage of aerial images, Beyond Beauty opens with a series of breathtaking nature shots that highlight the natural beauty of the island. The sequence is especially stunning on a large screen when you can see the details of the streams and trees as Chi's camera flies by them.

The narration by actor-writer-director Wu Nien Jen (written by Tsui Chi Chuan) is sparse in the opening section, introducing the beauty of Taiwan with poetic prose. However, the film then shifts its focus from natural beauty to a more industrial view of Taiwan, showing the damage that modernization and commercialization have done to nature in visual terms. Wu's narration fills in the blank, lecturing the audience like a big brother figure about how everyone has played a part in the destruction of our natural habitat because of our demand for a convenient, modern lifestyle.

Beyond Beauty is not the first documentary to tell us to take better care of the environment, but it does present an exceptionally strong case for a more environmentally conscious lifestyle. The ominous narration balances just the right amount of foreboding messages and didactic lessons, and it's complemented by gorgeously filmed and very real images of Mother Nature's fury. Even if you play the film on mute on your home television, the images themselves may be enough to rock you into action. Even Taiwan President Ma Ying Jeou reportedly vowed to look into the environmental issues raised in the film after it became a hit.

Fortunately, Beyond Beauty does end on a hopeful note by showing a few people who are trying to make a difference (via aerial footage, of course) by devoting their time to activities like organic farming. The well-intentioned effort may be seen by some as heavy-handed, but at least most can agree that Beyond Beauty, one of the most expensive documentaries ever produced in Taiwan, is a major technical achievement for Taiwan cinema. Every dollar Chi and his investors spent can be clearly seen and heard in the finished product. Whether you agree with the message or not (and why would you not want to protect the environment?), Beyond Beauty can at least serve as a great motivator for anyone who's thinking about buying a new television.