He Liu (The River)

Dir: Tsai Ming-Liang
1997 (1hr55mins)

The film is nearly as difficult to place as it is to describe, a fact that owes much to the approach and editing style Tsai Ming-Liang adopts to tell his stories. Yet, there is nothing 'loose' in his method. On the contrary, the film is whole, appropriately tying the opening chance encounter between two former friends (lovers?) to the tragic sequence of events that follow it. In this sense it is coherent, and so far as the story is concerned, hardly difficult to follow. Yet, we find few words pronounced, and a myriad glances exchanged that could essentially imply anything. To some, this is a fateful pronouncement - a sign that little is to be found in a film, save a few vacant glances. To me, Ming-Liang's style and form, aided tremendously by his ability to draw strong performances from his actors, permits the film (and its closing twist in particular) its power. It is the absence of tangible connections throughout life, missing even in those instances where sufficient resolutions hint themselves, that lend the added pain to everyday angst. Sometimes one may find themselves desiring to end it all for want of preventing yet another recurrence of the painful cycle. The difficulty any director encounters in capturing these moments is in their ambiguity. Depict the wound to vividly, and the director risks shocking the audience. Verbalize it, and they risk presuming such an expression is first possible, and secondly, hazard the chance of lending the picture far too 'talky' an air. It is in his gifted execution that Ming-Liang stands out. All in all, if either the approach to, or the themes themselves interest you, Tsai Ming-Liang's film touches the void between hope and the everyday better than many a film.

Along more formal lines, admirers of cinematography will be well-pleased with the remarkable use of tones in his lighting. Other notables include the careful use of sound and editing.

4.0 / 5 stars : Recommended *

Ease of viewing:
*Caution: Difficult (Pacing, Themes)
Tone:
Grim
Mood:
Atmospheric
Notables (Technical):
Lighting , editing
Thematic flags:
Adult themes
Time of day to watch:
Late morning , Early afternoon, Late Evening

Other films by Tsai Ming-Liang:
The Wayward Cloud (2005)
Goodbye Dragon Inn (2003) (3.5/5 stars)
What Time is it There? (2001) review forthcoming
The Hole (1998)
Vive L'Amour (1994)
Rebels of the a Neon God (1992) review forthcoming