It's not an exaggeration to be dull, it should be the inevitability of tragic, not to say that the film is bad. Because of my preference for Hou Hsiao-hsien and the powerful but indescribable impression that has taken shape as a whole, I still want to give this film four stars. But in terms of details, frankly, I find it a bit disjointed. If I hadn't read the script before, after reading it again, the explanation of some background and the clues of the development of the story are not very clear, at least I can't see it clearly enough - of course, the story itself is indeed a grand framework and difficult to control, but it may also be me Caused by stupidity.
But from a stylistic point of view, this should be a typical Hou Hsiao-hsien work. The extensive use of long shots, the unruly spread of the plot development, and the efforts to create the atmosphere and emotional tone... Many times, you haven't understood how things have developed like this, but your emotions have been deeply infected by him.
Zhu Tianwen said in "The Best Time - Hou Hsiao-hsien's Film Documentary" that Hou Hsiao-hsien is not a person who is good at telling stories, he is better at lyricism. So far, I have watched nearly ten of his films, and a very strong impression is the frequent use of non-plot scenes, especially in "Sad City". For example, in a meal scene, a family is taken to eat, and there are no other movements and expressions other than the use of chopsticks to send something into the mouth, and it lasts for a minute or two. Another example is Wen Qing and Kuan Mei, who sat in silence for a while, so silent, maybe two minutes, long silence. In fact, the emotions have been clearly expressed, and the extension of time is nothing more than to emphasize. Since the emotions are so strong and profound, there seems to be no better way to express them than with long shots. So while it's dull, it's not yet impatient.
However, I think it's a bit of a pity to focus too much on the lyrical and therefore ignore the narrative. For Hou Hsiao-hsien, the story is already in his heart. When he pays attention to emotions, the camera will automatically move to the picture that reflects the emotions, and unknowingly skip certain necessary explanations - this is simply a subconscious choice, and Not deliberately arranged. The unexplained information is familiar to him and needs no words, but the audience may not understand it, so it is obscure, and he can only guess or look for clues. This is probably the reason why most of Hou Hsiao-hsien's films are not well received. And the people who applaud, need to put in enough patience and loyal love.
Hou's greatness, in my opinion, is to shoot Taiwan, and at the same time shoot his own ideas. His films, no matter whether they are sad or happy, have a kind and natural atmosphere of life and traces of the times in them. Through them, I see, not just another world.
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