Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale - Part 1: The Sun Flag (2011)

In the rugged landscapes of Taiwan, under the oppressive rule of the Japanese, a brave and determined people, the Seediq, grapple daily with the erasure of their culture and identity. The film, Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale - Part 1: The Sun Flag, chronicles their struggle, centering on the trials of their leader, Mona Rudao, and his people's yearning for freedom. The film opens with a heart-pounding hunt near a mountain river, where Mona Rudao and his Seediq crew daringly seize a boar, intruding upon the territory of the Bunun tribe. This act of defiance sets the stage for the greater rebellion that is to come. Under the harsh Japanese rule, the Seediq's rich traditions are suppressed. The men are stripped of their hunting rights and subjected to grueling labor, while the women are forced into servitude, abandoning their ancestral weaving work. Most significantly, they were forbidden to tattoo their faces, a sacred Seediq practice embodying their transformation into 'true humans', or Seediq Bale. Over the course of 30 years, Mona Rudao, witness to his people's suffering, finds himself torn between the desire for peace and the yearning for dignity. When an incident involving his sons and a Japanese policeman ignites a spark of rebellion, the tribe is thrust into a tense standoff, living under the constant threat of Japanese retaliation. A turning point arrives when the Seediq youth, their faces devoid of traditional tattoos, implore Mona Rudao to lead a counterstrike against the Japanese. Inspired by their courage, he rallies them with a stirring speech, invoking the Rainbow Bridge that leads to their ancestral home and the endless hunting grounds beyond. He urges them to wash their spirits in the blood of their enemies, to secure their place among their brave ancestors. The film culminates in the depiction of the historic Wushe Incident, where Mona Rudao, leading a force of 300 Seediq warriors, dares to challenge 3000 Japanese soldiers. In their clash, the Seediq and the Japanese, devotees of the Rainbow and the Sun respectively, lose sight of their distinct beliefs, finding themselves under the same sky, their fates intertwined in a dramatic display of courage and resistance.

Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale - Part 1: The Sun Flag is an action movie featuring Lin Ching-Tai and directed by Wei Te-sheng.

Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale - Part 1: The Sun Flag is currently streaming for free (ad-supported) on Peacock, Peacock Premium, Plex and Plex Player and it's also available on Hi-YAH and Hoopla.

It is also possible to buy Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale - Part 1: The Sun Flag on Apple TV and Google Play Movies.