VS. It's right before the millennium and something strange is happening in Taiwan. Amidst a constant downpour of rain a new disease has sprung up, turning people into cockroach like invalids. Despite evacuation order from the quarantine area, a few stubborn people stick around, refusing to leave. Two of these people, a woman downstairs and a man upstairs, are forced to interact when a plumber breaks a small hole in their floor. Director Ming-liang Tsai's 'The Hole' is a gritty examination of alienation set in a dystopian hell.
This being my second Tsai film, his motifs and film making style were already familiar. Like other Tsai films the lack of dialog was challenging for me, but it does underscore the director's favorite theme of alienation. Here the overwhelming feeling of loneliness was palpable. The atmosphere is bizarre. Everyone seems to be going about there lives, as if nothing has changed. The main male character (who is not named), gets up every morning and opens up his small shop. It is located in some kind of underground shopping mall, surrounded by dozens of other shops which have been shuttered. He seems unperturbed by the paucity of shoppers, and sits idly waiting as if this was normal even before the evacuation. The complete indifference to the presumably new occurrence of lack of social interaction highlights Tsai's apparent view that social estrangement is the norm.
Everyone in the film seems content to be alone, each in their own world trying to survive. When the hole is made, connecting the two main characters it creates a rift in this catatonic asceticism. The hole becomes a source of tension between the pair, both unwilling to have any sort of relationship. Apparently unable or unwilling to interact in a socially acceptable way they at first resort to harassing each other through the hole. Again, it shows Tsai's pessimistic view of social interaction when even two utterly lonely people resort to further alienating one another rather than embracing what could be their only chance at a relationship. What was surprising to me was that Tsai didn't revel in this theme, but rather turned it around, offering a hopeful outlook. The two form, albeit begrudgingly, a sort of camaraderie .
Furthering the suffocating feeling of isolation is the visual impact of the rain. Everything is wet in this movie. Water is constantly dripping everywhere, and even the wallpaper is falling off the walls from the moisture. For an unexplained reason it is constantly raining the entire film, and it seems like it has been for some time. Added the rain is the water that has dowsed the downstairs apartment from a broken pipe, which was the impetus of the plumber creating the hole. Everything looks drowned, uncomfortable and altogether miserable. The people resemble wet cats, as they try to maintain some sense of normalcy despite the devastation to their livelihood the epidemic has caused.
Directly contrasting with this visual unpleasantness were beautifully colorful musical sequences inter-cut throughout the film. Seemingly completely out of context, these fantasy dance sequences featured themes of hope and joy with extravagant costumes and flair. Most striking was that these numbers are performed in the exact same setting where the characters are living their lives of despair. It is a brilliant cue by Tsai to highlight the escapism which the characters must yearn for. Each time you feel like you can't take another minute of the bleak world which you are trapped, we are treated to one of these striking vignettes, revitalizing your spirits and furthering the appreciation for the unbearable conditions in which the characters are living through.
There is a definite sense of social commentary throughout the film. The disease which is spreading turns its victims into mindless insect-like creatures, forcing them to scuttle around on their hands and knees and hide in dark places. To me this suggests a view of mankind turning into anti-social vermin, which fits nicely into Tsai's overarching theme of alienation. The disease is metaphor for the reaction of people to intense isolation and inability to deal with the harshness of life. One moving scene involves someone going through the transition into the 'insect' state. With her apartment flooding, alone, wet and sick in bed with the flu she breaks down in tears. Completely helpless and utterly miserable, she has been broken, falling to her knees she scurries around like a cockroach and hides under a mountain of clutter. It's a gutting scene and indicates this disease is more of an emotional detachment from reality rather than a physical disorder.
There is a lot to admire about this Tsai work. As unsettling and uncomfortable the enviornment there is a through line of hope, optimism and life. The more I see of his work, the more enamored I become with the style and themes of Ming-liang Tsai. He has an incredible command of visuals, creating an atmosphere which directs the mood of the film and becomes every bit an integral character in relating the themes. I was completely taken by the spin Tsai was able to put on his familiar themes. Somehow Tsai managed to make an examination of isolation and misery not only interesting, but entertaining.
In Cantonese the original title 'Hu Du Men' refers to the line separating the backstage and the main stage in Cantonese opera. Once an actor crosses this line they leave everything personal behind and completely become their character. 'Stage Door' focuses on the life of a famous opera star Lam Kim-Sum as she nears her retirement. She has given up a great deal in her life to pursue her acting career. With her exit from the profession she loves nearing, the emotion of living with her scarifies comes to a head as she tries to also manage problems in her family.
There is a lot of different plot lines being worked at the same time, and unfortunately none are satisfyingly explored. I got the feeling watching this that I was watching a day time soap opera. The drama was thick and overwrought. New conflict seemed to be dropped in for no good reason making it difficult to care about any one thing in particular. Even the way it was shot seemed a bit stilted and over produced. I did like some of the scenes of the actual Cantonese opera, but it wasn't nearly enough to make this worthwhile.
Verdict: This one wasn't too tough. It's not that I hated 'Stage Door', it was just very mediocre. One interesting note is that Fruit Chan was the AD on this movie, and I know he directed at least one other film in this bracket. Anyway,
'The Hole' easily moves on. I liked this even more than 'Vive Le'Amour', and really makes me want to watch more Tsai. Also, I wanted to note that this was my 3rd film featuring actress Kuei-Mei Yang and she has really grown on me. This was definitely her best performance. She has a quirkiness to her that I love.