original
Taiwan/Chinese title TIAN BIAN YI DUO YUN
[The Cloudy Side of Life]
aka WAYWARD WIND
also kown as WAYWARD CLOUDS
director: Tsai Ming-liang
starring: Lee Kang-sheng Lee · Chen Shiang-chyi · Lu Yi-Ching
Yes, it's
true. This film is not for everyone. Countless numbers of offended people
walked out of showings in Film Festivals around the world. Visionary director
Tsai is shaking up the "art crowd" with this perversely erotic - nearly
pornographic - tale (featuring mindboggling musical numbers) of the porn
industry in the near future.
Hsiao-Kang
works as an actor in low budget sex-films. Meanwhile, neighbor Shiang-chyi
(and many others in the city) are hoarding bottles of water as they try
to cope with a severe drought. The government recommends that people turn
to watermelons to keep from dehydrating. The melons serve as an ongoing
motif - as do more standard symbols like intersecting corridors - which
bring people together but also keep them apart. Of course, this is a highbrow
interpretation of the film. But don't be misled. It is also gritty, ugly
and totally outrageous. The controversial ending - while profoundly beautiful
- is perhaps the most disturbing footage ever produced in a commercial
motion picture.
A
Taiwanese import; widescreen (2.35:1), uncut (114 min.) version in DVD
encoded for ALL REGIONS, playable on any American DVD machine; in Chinese
language with English subtitles.
Strong
Sexual Themes/Nudity/Sexual
Brutality/Drugs/
Recommended for Mature Audiences Only