Episode 213: Tsai Ming-Liang

Director's Club

Two years ago Bill Ackerman and Patrick Ripoll joined forces to do a deep dive into the filmography of Wong Kar-wai, an Asian filmmaker who found great acclaim with his quirky tales of loneliness and longing set among a world of urban alienation in contemporary Hong Kong.

Now they return to do a deep dive into the filmography of Tsai Ming-Liang, an Asian filmmaker who found great acclaim with his quirky tales of loneliness and longing set among the world of urban alienation in contemporary Taipei. Time is a wheel we all can't help but ride. But any close examination will reveal Tsai Ming-Liang to be a peerless artist with a fascinating body of work totally unlike that of anyone in film history, a queer slow-cinema maverick whose fierce independence, devotion to his lead actor Lee Kang-Sheng, and intricately connected filmography rewards you more and more the closer you look. From his humble days in Taiwanese television to directing the first film ever commissioned by The Louvre, Patrick and Bill are here to guide you through the winding paths and enigmatic hidden treasures of one of Taiwan's greatest filmmakers, by charting a course through four of his most foundational works: REBELS OF THE NEON GOD (1992), WHAT TIME IS IT THERE? (2001), GOODBYE, DRAGON INN (2003) and STRAY DOGS (2013). 0:00 - 11:53 - Introduction 11:54 - 13:29 - Filmography through Rebels of the Neon God 13:30 - 58:38 - Rebels of the Neon God 58:39 - 1:01:15 - Filmography between Rebels of the Neon God and What Time Is It There? 1:01:16 - 1:38:34 - What Time Is It There? 1:38:35 - 2:13:06 - Goodbye, Dragon Inn 2:13:07 - 2:31:31 - Filmography between Goodbye, Dragon Inn and Stray Dogs 2:31:32 - 2:40:30 - The Walker series 2:40:31 - 3:03:50 - Stray Dogs 3:03:51 - 3:19:37 - Days & Outro