Directed by Tsai Ming-liang • Drama • With Lee Kang-Sheng; Yang Kuei-Mei • 1998 • 89 minutes
Set just prior to the start of the 21st century, this vaguely futuristic story follows two residents of a quickly crumbling building who refuse to leave their homes in spite of a virus that has forced the evacuation of the area. As rain pours down relentlessly, a single man is stuck with an unfinished plumbing job and a hole in his floor. This results in a very odd relationship with the woman who lives below him. Combining deadpan humor with an austere view of loneliness and a couple of unexpected musical numbers, Tsai Ming-Liang crafted one of the most original films of the 1990s. Produced for French television's 2000 Seen by... series, this was originally broadcast in a 69- minute version called Last Dance. This longer version is the director's preferred cut.
"The feelings that "The Hole" awakens will be recognizable to anyone, even if no one else could possibly have made it." —Los Angeles Times
"One of the ten best films of 1999...Tsai's most distilled, droll, deftly realized allegory." – J. Hoberman, Village Voice
Up Next in Staff Picks
-
Crimson Gold (Jafar Panahi & Abbas Ki...
Directed by Jafar Panahi • Written by Abbas Kiarostami * Drama • With Hossain Emadeddin • 2003 • 95 minutes
Two master filmmakers, Abbas Kiarostami (A Taste of Cherry) and Jafar Panahi (The Circle, Taxi) team up as writer and director, respectively, on Crimson Gold, a subtle tragedy on class con...
-
Fool's Mate (Le Coup du Berger)
Directed by Jacques Rivette • Drama • With Virginie Vitry, Jean-Claude Brialy, Jacques Doniol-Valcroze • 1957 • 27 minutes
An early film from the six-decade career of hugely influential French director and critic Jacques Rivette.
Claire (Virginie Vitry) is given a gorgeous fur coat by her lover...
-
From What Is Before (Lav Diaz)
Directed by Lav Diaz • Drama • With Perry Dizon, Roeder Camanag, Hazel Orencio • 2014 • 338 minutes
Winner of five prizes at the Locarno Film Festival, including the Golden Leopard for Best Film, Lav Diaz’s follow up to his acclaimed Norte, The End of History is an extraordinary five-and-a-half-...
