Ming-lliang Tsai's The River opens with a chance encounter between Xiao-Kang and his old friend, who works as a production assistant on a film set. When the fake body in their film doesn't look right, Xiang-Kang is recruited by the director to play a corpse floating in a polluted river. Afterwards, Xiao-Kang struggles to wash away the River's stench, while beginning to develop a pain in his neck he cant shake. Tsai's The River is a haunting and challenging portrait of yearning that offers up more questions than answers, in exploring the dismal life of young Xiao-Kang. Living in a dilapitated apartment with his parents in Taipai, Xiao-Kang tries desperately to shake the pain from his neck, though no cure whether via science or superstition seem to relieve the pain. Nothing is spelled out in The River but as the film progresses it becomes clear that Xiao-Kang's neck pain is a symbolic representation of the harsh world around him, with his mother and father being emotionally abusive to their young boy, forcing him to participate in some form of underground pornography that they are a part of. Tsai's tepid pacing only further sets the somber mood, offering up a stunning portrait of a young boy who has been contaminated by the transgressions of his parents. Similar to The Hole, the symbolic presense of Water throughout The River feels paramount, being a visual representation of life and hope attempting to break free. It's water that first forces Xiao-Kang's parents to look after him, as they have to take him to various doctors and spiritual individuals in attempt to help their son deal with the pain. Water is also routinely leaking through the ceiling of the apartment, eventually flooding a major section of their living space, as if Tsai is commenting on the life force of Xiao-Kang desperately trying to break free of his parents. The River is a moody, somber piece of minimalistic filmmaking that offers a surreal journey into the mysterious life of these three individuals, offering a difficult but ultimately rewarding look at corruption, innocence and life.
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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