Saturday, 15 September
End Times: The Hole
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How will the world end? Whether by nuclear catastrophe, alien invasion or environmental collapse, movies have long sought to answer this question-- envisioning the unthinkable. Today, in an age of accelerated global climate change and Trump's saber rattling with North Korea, apocalypse cinema has never felt more vital. In this program, we look back at the best, boldest, and most unusual visions of The End. Tonight's film is Tsai Ming Liang's remarkable blend of sci-fi, musical and romance The Hole (1998).
As the new millennium approaches, rain-drenched Taipei is beset by a mysterious plague which drives people mad, making them behave like cockroaches. With the city evacuated and placed under quarantine, only a few remain in their homes, including Hsiao Kang, a solitary shopkeeper. After a plumber drills a hole in his floor, Hsiao Kang discovers his lovely (and equally lonely) neighbor living in the apartment downstairs. As the hole grows larger, the couple draw closer, their courtship dramatized in a series of exuberant and colorful musical numbers, set to classic recordings of Hong Kong chanteuse Grace Chang. Will they find each other before they succumb to the plague? Tsai Ming Liang’s audacious, almost wordless mix of science-fiction, musical and romance uses deadpan long takes, evocative compositions and surreal flights of fancy to convey the sorrow of a dying world. The Hole is a moving, funny, oddly optimistic story about finding love among the ruins.
Directed by Tsai Ming-liang, 1998, Taiwan/France, 95 mins. In Taiwanese w/ English subtitles.
Bar opens @ 18:30.
Admission is €5.
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