That Day, on the Beach

The film opens with a radio announcement that pianist Tan Weiqing will perform in her hometown of Taipei after thirteen years abroad. She prepares for the concert and reluctantly cancels a press appointment to have lunch with Jiali, her old college friend. The opening frame sets the mood of return and memory.

Weiqing and Jiali, after a hesitant introduction, begin to catch up and revisit the past. Their conversation brushes over Weiqing's decision to leave Taipei to study abroad after a failed romance with Jiali's brother Jiasen. Their tentative rapport hints at long-unresolved feelings and shared history.

During their lunch, Jiali reveals that she is married by her own choice, signaling a different path from the life Weiqing imagined. Weiqing recalls that after she left Taipei, Jiali moved to Taipei with Dewei, whom she fell in love with before his disappearance. The revelation deepens the emotional stakes of their reunion.

Jiali explains that Dewei rose to a manager position at a large corporation run by his college friend Ah-Tsai, and that his demanding work and social life left little time for their relationship. Dewei resists Jiali's attempts to rekindle things, pressured by Ah-Tsai and by a coworker's romantic advances. The strain foreshadows the looming crisis.

Three years earlier, Dewei goes missing and is presumed dead after his belongings are found abandoned on a beach. This event hangs over Jiali and Weiqing as a central mystery and explains the current tension. The idea of him possibly still being alive is entertained by others but remains unconfirmed.

Before Dewei's disappearance, he faced mounting pressures to perform at work while Jiali spent time with an old college friend and dated a writer. After Jiali passes out in a flower arranging class, she ends up in the hospital. Dewei later visits and sends flowers, signaling unresolved feelings and hope for reconciliation.

In the hospital, Jiali receives flowers and a visit from Dewei, momentarily lifting her optimism that they could work things out. The scene underscores the emotional distance and the sense that both are carrying unspoken burdens. It hints that Dewei's troubles may run deeper than their relationship.

As investigators probe Dewei's disappearance, Ah-Tsai appears and tells Jiali that a large sum of money is missing from the company and that Dewei had traveled to Japan two days earlier. The insinuation introduces a possible motive and complicates the search for answers. Jiali weighs what she hears against her memories of Dewei.

Jiali visits her brother, who has taken over their father's family clinic, now struggling against technological change and hospital monopolies. They discuss their divergent paths in life and the importance of self-reliance. The clinical setting contrasts with the uncertain personal lives.

During the beach investigation, a body is found in the water, but Jiali leaves before discovering whose it is. The moment intensifies the mystery surrounding Dewei's fate and leaves crucial questions unanswered. The beach scene ties the personal and investigative threads together.

Back at the restaurant, Weiqing chooses not to press Jiali for details about the investigations, showing care for her friend. Jiali receives a phone call for a work meeting, and the lunch ends with a sense of unfinished business. The tension remains under the surface.

Outside the restaurant, Weiqing asks about Jiasen, and Jiali reveals he died of cancer the previous winter. The revelation reframes the past and deepens the grief both women carry. They part ways with a quiet goodbye, aware of how their lives have diverged.