Movie No. 37 (2016): THE HOLE
The Hole (1998)
Director: Tsai Ming-Liang
Cast: Lee Kang-Sheng, Yang Kuei-Mei
In Mandarin and Taiwanese, with English subtitles
The film begins with the unnamed lady tenant in a housing facility in Taipei commissioning a plumber to take a look at some piping issues at the apartment directly above hers. The apartment above hers is occupied by who a man who tends a grocery in a practically abandoned public market facilities. The two tenants are unaware of each other's existence. But, the irresponsible plumber leaves a hole on the grocer's floor, which is the lady tenant's ceiling. This hole becomes a source of tension between the two tenants. Adding complication to the situation is the rain that never stops from the start of the movie's running the end. The rain, seen and heard literally throughout the movie, suggests claustrophobia and trap. I say trap because the backdrop of the movie is the outbreak of a virus in Taipei that makes the infected exhibit roach-like behavior. The housing facility is a quarantine; the government, however, advises the tenants to evacuate the facilities and stay temporarily in a government-provided shelter. To force the tenants to leave, the city government has discontinued and threatens to cut the water supply on January 1, 2000, which is only a few days away.
Director: Tsai Ming-Liang
Cast: Lee Kang-Sheng, Yang Kuei-Mei
In Mandarin and Taiwanese, with English subtitles
An examination of alienation with not much attention to the characters' psyche, The Hole is also a movie about connection. The non-attention to the characters' psyche I guess is part of the plan. The audience should not and will not intrude the characters' self-imposed exile in loneliness.
The film begins with the unnamed lady tenant in a housing facility in Taipei commissioning a plumber to take a look at some piping issues at the apartment directly above hers. The apartment above hers is occupied by who a man who tends a grocery in a practically abandoned public market facilities. The two tenants are unaware of each other's existence. But, the irresponsible plumber leaves a hole on the grocer's floor, which is the lady tenant's ceiling. This hole becomes a source of tension between the two tenants. Adding complication to the situation is the rain that never stops from the start of the movie's running the end. The rain, seen and heard literally throughout the movie, suggests claustrophobia and trap. I say trap because the backdrop of the movie is the outbreak of a virus in Taipei that makes the infected exhibit roach-like behavior. The housing facility is a quarantine; the government, however, advises the tenants to evacuate the facilities and stay temporarily in a government-provided shelter. To force the tenants to leave, the city government has discontinued and threatens to cut the water supply on January 1, 2000, which is only a few days away.
The movie is bleak with occasional humor, but the occasional musical number, presented as something that happens only in the head of the lady tenant, is well-placed to suggest a dichotomy.
The movie deserves to be seen by anyone who loves cinema.
Rating: 4.0/4.0
Date seen: July 6, 2016
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