As tensions between Taiwan and mainland China continue to simmer, a new documentary film has arrived to shed light on the island’s complex past and precarious present. Invisible Nation, directed by Vanessa Hope, takes viewers on a whirlwind tour through Taiwan’s turbulent history, from its days as a colonial possession to its current status as a vibrant democracy living in the shadow of an increasingly assertive China. While the film sometimes struggles to untangle the knots of East Asian geopolitics, it nonetheless serves as a valuable primer for those seeking to better understand this often overlooked corner of the world.
A Primer on Taiwan’s Tangled Past
Hope, who has previously worked on several films about China and its neighbors, structures Invisible Nation as a crash course in Taiwanese history. Using a blend of archival footage and snappy animated graphics, she traces the island’s trajectory from its early days as a prize passed between various colonial powers to the tumultuous events of the 20th century, when it became a refuge for the nationalist Kuomintang forces after their defeat in the Chinese Civil War. This backstory, while at times a bit dizzying for the uninitiated, is crucial for understanding the roots of Taiwan’s current identity crisis.
One of the film’s most illuminating sequences focuses on the so-called “White Terror” period, when Taiwan was ruled under martial law from 1949 to 1987. Through interviews with survivors and scholars, Hope sheds light on a dark chapter in the island’s history that is too often overlooked in discussions of its democratic present. As one interviewee puts it, “We cannot talk about today’s Taiwan without acknowledging the scars of the past.”
The Tsai Ing-wen Era
The heart of Invisible Nation, however, is its portrait of Taiwan’s current president, Tsai Ing-wen. Through extensive interviews and fly-on-the-wall footage, Hope presents Tsai as a resolute leader determined to defend Taiwan’s hard-won autonomy in the face of increasing pressure from Beijing. We see Tsai navigating the tricky waters of cross-strait diplomacy, pushing back against China’s efforts to isolate Taiwan on the world stage while also trying to maintain stability at home.
“We are an independent country already and we call ourselves the Republic of China (Taiwan). We don’t have a need to declare ourselves an independent state.”
– Tsai Ing-wen, President of Taiwan
These scenes offer fascinating insight into the day-to-day realities of governing Taiwan, a country that exists in a state of diplomatic limbo, recognized by only a handful of nations and largely excluded from international bodies like the United Nations. Through Tsai’s eyes, we see both the immense challenges facing Taiwan and the quiet resilience of its people.
The China Question
Of course, no discussion of Taiwan’s present and future can avoid the looming specter of China. Invisible Nation is at its most provocative when exploring the complex web of ties that bind the two sides together, even as their political trajectories diverge. Through interviews with politicians, activists, and ordinary citizens on both sides of the strait, Hope captures the mix of fear, frustration, and resigned fatalism that characterize many Taiwanese attitudes toward Beijing.
At the same time, the film doesn’t shy away from calling out China’s increasingly aggressive posture toward Taiwan, from its military drills in the Taiwan Strait to its efforts to poach the island’s few remaining diplomatic allies. In one memorable scene, we see Chinese president Xi Jinping declaring that “no one and no force” can stop China’s eventual reunification with Taiwan – a chilling reminder of the high stakes involved.
Untangling the Knots
For all its strengths, Invisible Nation sometimes struggles to fully untangle the many threads of Taiwan’s story. The breakneck pace of the historical sections can leave viewers feeling a bit lost at times, and the film’s focus on high-level politics means that the voices of ordinary Taiwanese are sometimes drowned out. One also wishes that Hope had devoted more time to exploring Taiwan’s Indigenous communities, who have their own unique perspectives on the island’s past and future.
But these are ultimately minor quibbles with a film that achieves the difficult task of making Taiwan’s complex realities accessible to a general audience. By shining a light on this often overlooked island and its people, Invisible Nation performs a valuable service – even if it can only scratch the surface of Taiwan’s many layers.
The Road Ahead
In the end, what lingers after watching Invisible Nation is a sense of the immense challenges facing Taiwan as it navigates an uncertain geopolitical landscape. With China’s power and ambitions growing by the day, and support from traditional allies like the United States increasingly tenuous, Taiwan finds itself at a crossroads, forced to chart a path between the Scylla of submission and the Charybdis of conflict.
It’s a dilemma with no easy answers, but by giving voice to the hopes, fears, and dreams of the Taiwanese people, Invisible Nation reminds us of what’s at stake. For anyone seeking to understand this crucial flashpoint, Hope’s film is an essential starting point – a window into a world too often shrouded from view.
