Tian bian yi duo yun (2005)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Ming-liang Tsai

Writer:

Ming-liang Tsai (writer)

Release Date:

18 March 2005 (Taiwan)

Genre:

Musical | Comedy | Drama

Plot:

Hsiao-Kang, now working as an adult movie actor, meets Shiang-chyi once again. Meanwhile, the city of Taipei faces a water shortage that makes the sales of watermelons skyrocket. |

Plot Keywords:

Taipei | Water | Watermelon | Water Shortage | Taiwan

Awards:

3 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Kang-sheng Lee	...	Hsiao-Kang
Shiang-chyi Chen	...	Shiang-chyi
Yi-Ching Lu	...	Mother
Kuei-Mei Yang	...	Taiwanese Porn Actress
Sumomo Yozakura	...	Japanese Porn Star
Huan-Wen Hsiao
Hui-Xun Lin
Kuo-Xuan Jao
Shu-Mei Hung
David Yang
Huan-Wen Wu
Yu-Wei Chang
Xun-You Chou
Lee-Hsing Huang
Tian-Fu Hsu

Also Known As:

La saveur de la pastèque (France)
The Wayward Cloud (International: English title)
Un nuage au bord du ciel (France)

Runtime:

Hong Kong:114 min | USA:112 min | Argentina:114 min

Country:

France | Taiwan

Language:

Mandarin

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Brazil:18 | Switzerland:18 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:18 (canton of Geneva) | Italy:VM18 | Norway:18 | South Korea:18 (re-rating) (cut) | South Korea:Limited (original rating) | France:-16 | UK:18 | Japan:R-18 | Portugal:M/16 | Argentina:18 | Hong Kong:III | Singapore:R21 (cut) | Taiwan:R-18

Filming Locations:

Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Company:

Arena Films

Trivia:

Tsai Ming-liang originally wanted the story to focus on a grandmother who finds her grandson in the porno business, but when Tsai's friend and fellow director Ann Hui was unable to play the role of the grandmother Tsai decided to change the role to a young girl, and thus brought back Chen Shiang-chyi's character from his previous film "What Time Is It There?"

Movie Connections:

References Annie Hall (1977)

Soundtrack:

Ban ge yue liang

Excellent

I saw this film at the Toronto International Film Festival, and it was the most memorable film of the fest--more so than other great films screening like Capote or Brokeback Mountain and for sure, your run of the mill, Hollywood films like Elizabethtown, In her Shoes, Walk the Line, etc. Wayward Cloud is a daring film about love, sex and isolation, and it's set in an almost apocolyptic time when watermelon has become the source of water, food and fetish! The film is amazingly original.

Definitely, the "real time" shots which are often utilized in Taiwanese film, can try your patience, but indeed there is a "zone" for Tsai Ming Liang's films and once you get there, all the images are mesmerizing--watching a woman walk up a flight of stairs, etc. And the sex scenes (which are plenty b/c the film deals with porn) further highlights our voyeuristic "mesmerization" reflected in the style of the film.

Short of writing a spoiler, please please see this film (if it is distributed in your area)...the last shot is the most disgusting and most beautiful thing ever...you'll have to see for yourself.