The River (1997 film)
| The River | |
|---|---|
DVD cover
|
|
| Chinese | 河流 |
| Mandarin | héliú |
| Literally | river |
| Directed by | Tsai Ming-liang |
| Produced by | Shiu Shun-ching Chung Hu-ping Hsu Li-kong |
| Written by | Tsai Ming-liang Tsai Yi-chun Yang Pi-ying |
| Starring |
Lee Kang-sheng Miao Tien Lu Yi-ching |
| Distributed by | Strand Releasing |
|
Release date
|
|
|
Running time
|
115 minutes |
| Country | Taiwan |
| Language | Mandarin |
The River is a 1997 Taiwanese film directed by Tsai Ming-liang and starring Lee Kang-sheng, Miao Tien, and Lu Yi-ching. The plot centers on a family who has to deal with the son's neck pain. In 2003, a critic called it Tsai's "bleakest film."
Hsiao-Kang (Lee Kang-sheng), a young man in his 20s, is going up an escalator in Taipei when he meets an old girlfriend of his (Chen Shiang-chyi). She convinces him to accompany her to a film shoot that she is working on. While eating lunch, Hsiao-Kang is spotted by the film's director (Ann Hui). The scene that they are currently shooting needs an actor, so Hsiao-Kang agrees to step in. He lies face down in the dirty Tamsui River for a few seconds, pretending to be a dead body.
After the scene is completed, he and his friend get a room in a hotel so Hsiao-Kang can take a shower. The two then have sexual intercourse. Hsiao-Kang drives home on his motorcycle and begins to feel some soreness in his neck. He eventually falls off the bike, and a man, later shown to be his father (Miao Tien), tries to help him up, but Hsiao-Kang ignores him and drives the rest of the way back.
By that night, his neck pain is even worse. He goes to his mother (Lu Yi-ching), and she rubs some lotion on him. However, the pain does not go away. The family tries different methods of healing, including acupuncture, but nothing works, and Hsiao-Kang begins to wish he were dead. Meanwhile, it is apparent that the family is fractured, with communication problems. Hsiao-Kang's father regularly visits a bathhouse and has sexual encounters with other men. The mother is having an affair with a pornographer.
Finally, Hsiao-Kang and his father travel to see a provincial healer. The healer is not able to foresee anything on their first visit, so they rent a hotel room. That night, they both go to the same bathhouse, separately. Hsiao-Kang eventually walks into his dad's room in the dark, and the two give each other handjobs.
...
Wikipedia