REBELS OF THE NEON GOD (1992), dir. Tsai Ming-Liang
The Kids are Not Alright
If you were to ask the protagonists of Tsai Ming-liang’s 1992 film, "What are you rebelling against?" they would probably reply, "Religion. Obedience. Old-fashioned work ethics. Dress codes. Everything."
Ming-liang paints a bleak, fascinating portrait of aimless youth in an unnamed Chinese city. Ah Tze (frequent Ming-liang collaborator Chao-jung Chen) and Ah Bing (Chang-bin Jen) are a couple of small-time hoods who break into public phones and parking meters. For the most part, they spend their loot in video arcades, where the glow of the screens illuminates their dull cow faces. One afternoon, Ah Tze meets Ah Kuei (Yu-Wen Wang), who has been stranded in his dingy apartment after a one night stand with his brother. Immediately drawn to his flashy motorcycle and stylish dress (borrowed from James Dean in "Rebel Without a Clue"), she asks him for a lift. Their subsequent courtship is sweet, but turbulent; he often stands her up while pulling off scores with Ah Bing.
In the film’s parallel storyline, Hsiao Kang (Kang-sheng Lee, another Ming-liang regular), the son of middle-class parents, drops out of his tutorial school and begins wandering the night. Hsiao Kang is a thoroughly alienated youth. He has no friends; his mother’s religious devotion and father’s strict call for obedience incite him to rebel. After a chance encounter with Ah Tze, he begins following around the motorcycle-riding punk. Like a ghost, Hsiao Kang secretly observes, while Ah Tze remains oblivious to his presence.
We get the feeling Hsiao Kang wishes he could be more like the youth he watches. But one night, he observes how badly Ah Tze treats the beautiful Ah Kuei, and a shocking act of vandalism follows. What motivates it is never made clear. Jealous rage? Disappointment? Or is the act meant as a kind of twisted homage, the student one-upping the master? All answers are valid. None of them change the result: Unexpected consequences, which Ah Tze and Ah Bing are ill-equipped to deal with.
"Rebels of the Neon God" is the first film by Tsai Ming-liang. Now considered one of the most stylish Chinese filmmakers on the planet (His most recent forays were 2001’s "What Time is It There?" and 2003’s "Goodbye, Dragon Inn"), Ming-liang already displays an assured sense of individuality in his debut feature.
While his trademark long, static shots may not appear in abundance, fans of the auteur will recognize his penchant for recurring visual images. Like the clocks in "What Time is It There," water appears throughout "Rebels..." in various shapes and forms. But Ming-liang does not use water to symbolize life or rebirth, the most common connotations of the element. On the contrary, the waters that permeate this unnamed Chinese city are an oppressive force. Characters constantly flee the rain, or visibly chafe beneath unbearable humidity. There is also a clogged drain in the floor of Ah Tze’s apartment, which Ming-liang adopts as a metaphor for the constant sorrows threatening to invade the character’s life.
The water from the drain ebbs and flows with Ah Tze’s mood. During his first return home, he lies in bed with a listless look on his face. The water, which has pooled into a troubling puddle in the kitchen, seems to reflect this listlessness. After he spends a happy night on the town with Ah Kuei, the clog clears up. It is as if the promise of new love makes the potential problem of the water vanish. But then tragedy strikes, and no matter how hard Ah Tze fights to keep the drain plugged, it regurgitates. One wonders if the busted drain, which is still spewing water when the last shot of the apartment fades, will continue filling the residence until the lost souls inside are completely overwhelmed.
The youths in "Rebels of the Neon God" are certainly troubled. What troubles them, Ming-liang seems to say, is the alienating nature of the "Neon God," the city. Ah Tze appears to be attracted to Ah Kuei. However, being a lone wolf by nature, he will not allow himself to be tied down. Unfortunately for Ah Kuei, the emotionally-distant Ah Tze represents the closest thing to a real human bond in her life. Without him, romance means one night stands, and making dates with complete strangers over the phone. It is no wonder that she clings hard to Ah Tze, even when he keeps abandoning her.
As for Hsiao Kang, he seems like the loneliest soul in the world by the time the movie ends. Estranged from his parents, armed with a gun, living day-to-day in a love hotel—what does the future have in store for him? His final act is a visit to a phone dating service, but the small cubicle and ringing phone prove unpalatable. Though he may have played the voyeur with Ah Tze and Ah Bing, Hsiao Kang really does crave a human connection. But the "Neon God" is wholly impersonal. Even in the arcades, the archipelago of video game addicts become silent, hypnotized islands onto themselves.
What can be done for these kids? As he did in "What Time is It There," Ming-liang explores the loneliness of his urban characters’ lives, but ultimately leaves them adrift.
Still, the final sequence, a slow upward pan from car-laden streets and buildings to the sky, seems to be arguing something. It leaves the viewer wondering, "Is this supposed to be some sort of symbolic egress? Does Ming-liang long to leave the city behind, even if his characters do not?"
Overall rating: **** (out of ****)
If you were to ask the protagonists of Tsai Ming-liang’s 1992 film, "What are you rebelling against?" they would probably reply, "Religion. Obedience. Old-fashioned work ethics. Dress codes. Everything."
Ming-liang paints a bleak, fascinating portrait of aimless youth in an unnamed Chinese city. Ah Tze (frequent Ming-liang collaborator Chao-jung Chen) and Ah Bing (Chang-bin Jen) are a couple of small-time hoods who break into public phones and parking meters. For the most part, they spend their loot in video arcades, where the glow of the screens illuminates their dull cow faces. One afternoon, Ah Tze meets Ah Kuei (Yu-Wen Wang), who has been stranded in his dingy apartment after a one night stand with his brother. Immediately drawn to his flashy motorcycle and stylish dress (borrowed from James Dean in "Rebel Without a Clue"), she asks him for a lift. Their subsequent courtship is sweet, but turbulent; he often stands her up while pulling off scores with Ah Bing.
In the film’s parallel storyline, Hsiao Kang (Kang-sheng Lee, another Ming-liang regular), the son of middle-class parents, drops out of his tutorial school and begins wandering the night. Hsiao Kang is a thoroughly alienated youth. He has no friends; his mother’s religious devotion and father’s strict call for obedience incite him to rebel. After a chance encounter with Ah Tze, he begins following around the motorcycle-riding punk. Like a ghost, Hsiao Kang secretly observes, while Ah Tze remains oblivious to his presence.
We get the feeling Hsiao Kang wishes he could be more like the youth he watches. But one night, he observes how badly Ah Tze treats the beautiful Ah Kuei, and a shocking act of vandalism follows. What motivates it is never made clear. Jealous rage? Disappointment? Or is the act meant as a kind of twisted homage, the student one-upping the master? All answers are valid. None of them change the result: Unexpected consequences, which Ah Tze and Ah Bing are ill-equipped to deal with.
"Rebels of the Neon God" is the first film by Tsai Ming-liang. Now considered one of the most stylish Chinese filmmakers on the planet (His most recent forays were 2001’s "What Time is It There?" and 2003’s "Goodbye, Dragon Inn"), Ming-liang already displays an assured sense of individuality in his debut feature.
While his trademark long, static shots may not appear in abundance, fans of the auteur will recognize his penchant for recurring visual images. Like the clocks in "What Time is It There," water appears throughout "Rebels..." in various shapes and forms. But Ming-liang does not use water to symbolize life or rebirth, the most common connotations of the element. On the contrary, the waters that permeate this unnamed Chinese city are an oppressive force. Characters constantly flee the rain, or visibly chafe beneath unbearable humidity. There is also a clogged drain in the floor of Ah Tze’s apartment, which Ming-liang adopts as a metaphor for the constant sorrows threatening to invade the character’s life.
The water from the drain ebbs and flows with Ah Tze’s mood. During his first return home, he lies in bed with a listless look on his face. The water, which has pooled into a troubling puddle in the kitchen, seems to reflect this listlessness. After he spends a happy night on the town with Ah Kuei, the clog clears up. It is as if the promise of new love makes the potential problem of the water vanish. But then tragedy strikes, and no matter how hard Ah Tze fights to keep the drain plugged, it regurgitates. One wonders if the busted drain, which is still spewing water when the last shot of the apartment fades, will continue filling the residence until the lost souls inside are completely overwhelmed.
The youths in "Rebels of the Neon God" are certainly troubled. What troubles them, Ming-liang seems to say, is the alienating nature of the "Neon God," the city. Ah Tze appears to be attracted to Ah Kuei. However, being a lone wolf by nature, he will not allow himself to be tied down. Unfortunately for Ah Kuei, the emotionally-distant Ah Tze represents the closest thing to a real human bond in her life. Without him, romance means one night stands, and making dates with complete strangers over the phone. It is no wonder that she clings hard to Ah Tze, even when he keeps abandoning her.
As for Hsiao Kang, he seems like the loneliest soul in the world by the time the movie ends. Estranged from his parents, armed with a gun, living day-to-day in a love hotel—what does the future have in store for him? His final act is a visit to a phone dating service, but the small cubicle and ringing phone prove unpalatable. Though he may have played the voyeur with Ah Tze and Ah Bing, Hsiao Kang really does crave a human connection. But the "Neon God" is wholly impersonal. Even in the arcades, the archipelago of video game addicts become silent, hypnotized islands onto themselves.
What can be done for these kids? As he did in "What Time is It There," Ming-liang explores the loneliness of his urban characters’ lives, but ultimately leaves them adrift.
Still, the final sequence, a slow upward pan from car-laden streets and buildings to the sky, seems to be arguing something. It leaves the viewer wondering, "Is this supposed to be some sort of symbolic egress? Does Ming-liang long to leave the city behind, even if his characters do not?"
Overall rating: **** (out of ****)
Labels: ****, 1992, Thailand, Tsai Ming-liang
posted by Phil | 11:05 AM
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