From Gregg Araki to Wong Kar Wai, the ‘90s were alive with rich cinematic visions of youth and urban alienation. Tsai Ming-liang’s debut might be the best of both worlds: a cast of melancholy souls tirelessly search for themselves in Taipei’s streets and find what or may not be a false idol…
Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at Venice, Tsai Ming-liang’s Stray Dogs is an exceedingly beautiful and heartbreaking gem. The film brings out a rare intensity from its performers through its mise-en-scène, as incredible close-ups and audacious camera placements stun in this formal masterpiece.
Tsai Ming-liang and Lee Kang-sheng’s masterwork is one of their simplest and sweetest propositions. A dialogue-free ode to carnal and spiritual longing that speaks profoundly to our contemporary moment, Days is a film about kinship, healing, and curative connections that tingles with anticipation.
Featuring interviews with Hirokazu Kore-eda, Hou Hsiao-hsien, Wang Bing, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, and Jia Zhangke, this documentary portrait provides a thorough perspective on the landmark New Taiwanese Cinema. An essential document of one of 20th century cinema’s most significant chapters.
Don’t mistake this magnificent documentary for marginalia in the careers of Tsai Ming-liang and Lee Kang-sheng. Fit to burst with warmth and tenderness, Afternoon hosts a conversation between the great filmmaker and his muse with exacting formal rigour. It’s one of the great love stories in cinema.
