The screening will be accompanied by a pre-recorded interview with lead actor Li Kang-Sheng before the screening.
Original Title: 洞
Year: 1998
Director: Tsai Ming-liang
Runtime: 95 minutes
Country: Taiwan
Language: Mandarin with English subtitles
Rating: PG
Awards
GOLD HUGO FOR BEST FEATURE
Chicago International Film Festival 1998
BEST ASIAN FEATURE FILM
BEST ASIAN FEATURE FILM DIRECTOR
BEST ACTRESS (YANG KUEI-MEI).
Singapore International Film Festival 1999 Silver Screen Awards
Synopsis
At the dawn of the new millennium a mysterious virus hits Taiwan causing people to behave like cockroaches. Defying evacuation orders, a man (Lee Kang-sheng) and a woman (Yang Kuei-mei) remain within their apartments. After a plumber makes a hole between both apartments the man becomes increasingly intrigued by his neighbour below and the two form a unique connection enacted through musical numbers.
Tsai Ming-liang’s The Hole is a strikingly prescient piece of pandemic pop art, mixing his penchant for melancholy and the absurd with an uncharacteristic sense of warmth. His trademark languid pacing remains intact but is tempered by glamorous musical numbers peppered throughout the film, drawing from the nostalgic songbook of 1950s mandopop icon Grace Chang. Through the incessant rain and soul crushing monotony of routine The Hole finds hope through connection in spite of the awkward journey its characters take to find it.
This film is part of the programme Y2K Dreamz. The full programme for Y2K DreamZ can be found here.
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