For decades, the large white building that currently serves as Shueitsanlin Elementary School’s (水燦林國小) library was shrouded in mystery.
Dubbed the “White House” (美國白宮) by locals since it was built by the US military in 1968, the structure seems out of place for rural Yunlin County, and even the school’s principal Tsai Hsing-shen (蔡幸伸) couldn’t find any information about it. Some local women remember drinking milk formula provided by the research facility and sending their baby boys there, but nobody really knew its purpose. Life was hard back then with little to eat besides sweet potatoes, and they were not about to turn down free food and childcare.
The facility shut down in 1975 and everything was shipped back to the US, leaving not even a single document for the National Archives.
Photo courtesy of See You, White House
The only evidence that remained in Taiwan were the old photos and memories of former employees, which included the father of See You, White House (再會啦, 白宮) director Lee Chine-Cheng (李建成). Lee, who grew up in the area, was just looking into the building on a trip home when he found a photo with his dad in it, sparking a four-year, transcontinental quest to uncover the truth behind the White House. His efforts not only culminated in a full-length documentary, it also reunited the former workers, who seemed to really get along with each other.
The result is a solid, straightforward tale that explores as best as it can the history of the US Naval Metabolic Ward and why it was set up in remote Shueilin Township (水林). The locals and former workers are quite the characters, especially former nurse and formula deliverywoman Hsiu-ching (秀卿), who probably carries over half the movie’s weight with her extremely upbeat and funny, yet self-deprecating, personality. Lee includes many slice-of-life moments that provide a human touch to a story about a building, which keeps things entertaining for viewers who aren’t history buffs.
The scenes are interspersed with old photos and videos, and despite the initial research dead-ends, Lee eventually uncovered a great deal of footage that provides a fascinating glimpse into yet another untold chapter of Taiwan’s past.
Photo courtesy of See You, White House
In fact, the building’s identity is not that much of a secret once Lee heads to John Hopkins University in the US. Unlike other forgotten events of the nation, Shueilin’s White House isn’t particularly politically sensitive — it’s just that nobody bothered to dig into it. And the audience is fortunate that Lee did so now, when many of the people involved are still alive and healthy.
Much of the movie’s latter part deals with the rekindled friendships between the former employees — some of whom hadn’t seen each other for over 40 years. This part feels drawn out and repetitive and could have been pared down, a common problem with Taiwanese documentaries to linger a little to long on the heartwarming bits. The soundtrack is also repetitive and sappy. However, these unintentional reunions are still an interesting result from Lee’s accidental venture.
The editing generally flows well, but the timeline gets a bit confusing in the second half as the same characters seem to meet up in the same place on different occasions.
Although the film doesn’t end up uncovering any riveting international military conspiracy or nefarious human experimentation on oblivious locals, See You, White House is still a mostly well-presented tale that’s worth watching.
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