akash_sebastian
Acclaimed director Tsai Ming-liang's directorial debut is a fascinating and intriguing story about the rebellious nature of youth, and the emptiness and meaninglessness felt by them. It's also the first of many collaborations between the director and actor Lee Kang-sheng.Water, water everywhere. Just with regular places like malls, arcades, hotel rooms and houses, Tsai creates a recognizable urban environment, where the rebellious actions of few individuals form a complete cycle. From the James Dean poster to the mention of reincarnation of a rebellious God, and even the Mandarin and English titles of the film, the movie doesn't shy away from telling what it's about. And in its subtle way, it also tries to explore the reasons behind it. Like the cram school one of the protagonists (Hsiao Kang) is sent to, cities are crammed with people in the same way, but despite that, people feel more disconnected than ever. From the phone dating thing service in the story to our present-day social networking sites, the story tries to emphasize that with urbanization, humans have lost touch with direct interactions and brotherhood.The bleak tone may put some people off, but it actually adds to the tone of the story. Tsai here gives us a slice of these young lives, and asks us to contemplate on 'Why do we do the things we do?' All the actors are cast well, and they do a commendable job.NOTE: It's preferable if one watches Tsai Ming-liang's films in order because the character Hsiao-kang (Lee Kang-sheng) appears in most of his films, this being the first. The order might help in exploring and understanding the character much better.
vince4953529
Having lived in Taiwan from the mid eighties to the late nineties, this film showed how Taipei was like during the early nineties. That was when the MRT was still under construction, and everything looks a little bit old, filthy, run down, and crowded. This film accurately portrayed the lives of the youth living at that time, such as hanging out all day in the arcade, obsession with motorbike racing, and for some going to the after school tutor seminars. when watching this film a wave of nostalgia hit me as I realized that Taiwan now is a lot more polished and modernized, and not as gritty as before, which I have dearly missed.The film showed the "little people" of a big city. They are often ignored, alienated, and living day by day in the fringe of a faceless and monolithic society.
cwx
In his first film, international "arty" director Tsai Ming-liang tells what is apparently, for him, a fairly accessible tale about two fake thugs, the sometimes-girlfriend of one of them, and a younger teenager who has a strange preoccupation with the three of them. He does so largely with long, one-take, unmoving shots (when the action moves into the background, the camera usually doesn't follow). It's not always easy to understand the relationship between these various characters, which is just as well, as it is pretty languid and obscure in general; teasing out the nuances of these relationships was my main source of interest while watching this film. Overall, it seems to be worth a try, but not worth a recommendation. I got a generally positive impression from it (meaning that it didn't just totally irritate me), but it didn't provoke a strong visceral aesthetic appreciation (that's a little paradoxical I guess) that I get from my favorite "art films." I'm tempted to watch one of Tsai's later, "better-known" (relatively speaking) films, but I'm not sure that I'm that enamored with his visual style or his style of storytelling (as opposed to, say, that of Wong Kar-Wai).
jeremy23
Tsai Ming-Liang doesn't make movies per se. He takes slices out of people's lives and puts them up on the screen for people to see.This movie is an example of this style of film-making seen through the eyes of a group of teens in the city.The meaning of the movie is open to discussion. My take is that the dark tone of this movie reflects the dark tone of its characters lives. For them Taipei is the beginning and the end. Where else have they ever seen, where else would they go? No careers, no connections, no future, no love, no hope. Nothing but work, study, drinking, failed relationships and ennui.I don't share Tsai's bleak appraisal of the city. It is every bit as bad and grungy as he paints it (I _lived_ in the apartment with sandals floating across the floor!) but it is also much brighter, much better, and much more hopeful at the same time.The most powerful thing about this movie is the extent to which it draws you in. I first saw this at the Seattle film festival. I was pulled in to the movie so completely I expected to smell Chinese sausages and _chou dofu_ when I left the theatre.
AD
