Star Review
Malaysian-born Tsai Ming-liang, who became a fixture of Taiwanese art cinema during the last decade, returns to his native country for this beautifully reflective portrait of multicultural relationships and contemporary times. It’s also his entry in the wonderful New Crowned Hope series of films commissioned around the world in honor of Mozart’s 250th anniversary (including the excellent Daratt and Opera Jawa, both imminent DVD releases). Tsai’s film follows Chinese immigrant Hsiao-kang (played by his perennial star, Lee Kang-sheng), who is nearly beaten to death by swindlers. Taken in by some compassionate Bangladeshi workers, Hsiao-kang is nursed back to life by a construction worker named Rawang, and soon finds himself caught in a romantic triangle between Rawang and a coffee shop waitress named Chyi (played by another Tsai regular, Chen Xiangqi). Encompassing this personal drama is a noxious haze that descends upon the city, leaving its aimless, searching characters adrift within a cloudy physical environment, and making their efforts at communication, desire and love all the more difficult to materialize.
While the setting may be new for Tsai’s cinema, his aesthetic is not; fans of his glacial pacing, exquisite long takes and minimal dialogue—and deadpan mixture of drama, pathos and comedy—will find much to enjoy here. Yet he also seems to be expanding his concerns, from life in Taipai to a broader socio-political view of polyglot, cosmopolitan existence: much of the film was shot in a labyrinthine building abandoned during the Asian economic crisis that is currently filled with homeless immigrant workers. It’s an interesting companion piece to his previous film, The Wayward Cloud (2005), a colorful but dark and gritty examination of the Taiwanese porn industry; both films emphasize the emotions and values that emanate from physical human interactions. In this film, Tsai celebrates the potential for human warmth. Some of its most lingering imagery consists of extended views of hands washing and caressing the battered Hsiao-kang, wordless expressions of human concern and healing in chaotic times.
Doug Cummings on 24th December 2007
View all 26 of Doug Cummings’s reviews
[ Show Film Description ]
Film Description
Lee Kang-Sheng stars in this Malaysian-set drama from writer/director Tsai Ming-Liang. After getting beaten up, Hsiao-kang (Lee) finds himself being cared for by several generous Bangladeshi strangers. Finding comfort in his new temporary home, the typically withdrawn Hsiao summons up the courage to broaden his horizons. Auteur Tsai Ming-Liang brings the neon-soaked streets of Kuala Lumpur to life in this characteristically surreal and affecting tale.
[ Show Star Review ]
Atonement
MovieMail Latest
The Digital Edition of our December Film Catalogue is out now!
RSS Feeds | MovieMail Podcasts | December Film Catalogue | Subscribe to our email newsletter!
I Dont Want To Sleep Alone
