Edward Yangs fifth picture is a novelistic exploration of the meanings and contradictions of Taiwanese cultural identity. Set in 1960, and based on a true incident weighing heavily on Yangs own youth, the film — which, in its unedited form, clocks in at just under four hours — primarily focuses on the life of Sir, a high school student whose civil servant father was among the millions of Chinese mainlanders who fled to Taipei in the wake of 1949s civil uprisings. In the pictures opening scenes, it is revealed that Sir is teetering on the brink of academic expulsion; like so many of the films characters, he is clearly yearning for a stronger sense of belonging, and as a result joins a youth gang, much to the detriment of his life at home and at school. In time, he falls for Ming, a flirtatious girl with domestic troubles of her own; this ill-fated couples circle of friends also includes Honey, an exiled gang leader, Sirs best friend Xiao Ma, and Cat, a younger boy obsessed with Elvis Presley. (The lyrics to Presleys Are You Lonesome Tonight?, phonetically transcribed by Sirs older sister, lend the film its title.) ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide