Capital Celluloid 2025 — Day 315: Thu Nov 13

The Hole (Tsai Ming-liang, 1998): Close-Up Cinema, 8.15pm 

This film, introduced by Hope Rangaswami, is part of the 'Strange Encounters' season at Close-Up Cinema. Full details here.

Time Out review:
The last week before the 21st century: a mysterious epidemic has resulted in mass evacuation from Taipei, with only a few residents refusing to leave their homes, two of whom - a man and the woman who lives in the flat below - become involved in a mysterious, unspoken relationship when the latter's ceiling collapses, due to the non-stop rain, and they suddenly become aware of one another. The premise is weird enough, but interrupting the metaphorical story with delightfully amateurish song and dance sequences (by way of homage to '50s star Grace Chang, though they also reflect on the woman's fantasies) takes it still further into uncharted territory. Somehow, it all comes off: the characters are depicted with insight and wit, the mood is kept controlled, and the ending is genuinely moving. Idiosyncratic, of course, but immensely impressive.
Geoff Andrew

Here (and above) is the trailer.

No comments: