Qian xi man po (2001)

Director:

Hsiao-hsien Hou

Writer:

T'ien-wen Chu (writer)

Release Date:

31 October 2001 (France)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Aisareru isshun ga watashi no subete ni naru [Japan]

Plot:

Hong Kong. A voice off-camera looks back ten years to 2001, when Vicky was in an on-again off-again relationship with Hao-Hao...

Plot Keywords:

Drugs

Awards:

6 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Qi Shu	...	Vicky
Jack Kao	...	Jack
Chun-hao Tuan	...	Hao-Hao
Yi-Hsuan Chen	...	Xuan
Jun Takeuchi	...	Jun
Doze Niu	...	Doze (as Chen-er Niu)

Also Known As:

Millennium Mambo (France) (USA)
Cian si man po (Taiwan)

MPAA:

Rated R for language, drug content and some sexuality.

Runtime:

119 min | 105 min (edited version)

Country:

Taiwan | France

Language:

Mandarin

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Australia:MA | New Zealand:R18 | France:U | Hong Kong:IIB | Japan:R-15 | Netherlands:16 | Singapore:M18 | South Korea:18 | Spain:13 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Taiwan

Company:

3H Productions

Trivia:

Many of the characters have the same names of the actors that played them.

Movie Connections:

References Città violenta (1970)

Soundtrack:

A new day

Strangely Compelling

I find that I can't get this film out of my mind. This is one of the saddest, most depressing films I've seen in a few years. I think one of the reasons why it is so sad is that the director juxtaposes scenes where Shu Qi is radiantly happy to those where she's stuck in her miserable life, and I think this contrast amplifies the depressing circumstances we see. As others have mentioned, this film doesn't have much of a plot, and I personally find these kinds of films difficult to appreciate. But for some reason, I find myself strangely compelled by this film. I agree with an earlier poster that the opening scene of Shu Qi running in slow motion with the techno music throbbing in the background (from a PHENOMENAL soundtrack as others have also noted) is extremely powerful and compelling. Early in the movie, I also liked the scene where Shu Qi is being "checked out" by her whacked out boyfriend, and she barely tolerates it in classic passive-aggressive style. I think the long takes with little action work because Shu Qi is so compelling (re: gorgeous), that she can just sit there smoking a cigarette and the audience (or at least me) is totally captivated.