Such a life

Such a Life is quite a sad film It is set in the sixties in a village on the west coast of Taiwan where many are succumbing to black foot a disease caused by drinking contaminated well water The only cure is to amputate the afflicted limb and to avoid drinking the contaminated water Many in the village were already sick and few could afford to have tapwater installed At the center of the story is Ah Chung who lives with his grandfather who has already lost one leg to black foot In the same village also live an opera family who are finding things increasingly difficult there an oyster farmer who complains that his oysters are being poisoned by a nearby pharmaceutical plant and an assortment of children who enjoy swimming in the sea and who bully Ah Chung A significant portion of the action also takes place in the village school where Ah Chung is having trouble keeping up with the fees