“In accommodating both our fantasies and our disappointments, the film evinces a belief in genuine human connection in a world where it seems all but impossible.” - Joshua Bogatin, Screen Slate
“A genius of deadpan comedy as well as a poet of urban anomie, Tsai fills his meticulously composed frames with revealing details that often double as sight gags...funny, melancholy and finally entrancing" - Justin Chang, The Los Angeles Times
"One of the ten best films of 1999…Tsai's most distilled, droll, deftly realized allegory." – J. Hoberman, Village Voice
Opens July 24 | Set just prior to the start of the 21st century, this vaguely futuristic story follows two residents of a quickly crumbling building who refuse to leave their homes in spite of a virus that has forced the evacuation of the area. As rain pours down relentlessly, a single man is stuck with an unfinished plumbing job and a hole in his floor. This results in a very odd relationship with the woman who lives below him. Combining deadpan humor with an austere view of loneliness and a couple of unexpected musical numbers, Tsai Ming-Liang crafted one of the most original films of the 1990s. 35mm screenings generously supported by Mimi and Scott Manzler. Siskel Film Center exclusive.
Awards & Nominations
1998 Cannes Film Festival - Winner, FIPRESCI Prize
1998 Toronto International Film Festival - Official Selection
1998 BFI London Film Festival - Official Selection
1999 International Film Festival Rotterdam - Official Selection
The Film Center is ADA accessible. This presentation will be projected without open captions. The theater is hearing-loop equipped. For accessibility requests, please email filmcenter@saic.edu