A young man develops severe neck pain after swimming in a polluted river; his dysfunctional parents are unable to provide any relief for him or themselves.
Director:
Ming-liang Tsai
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Title: The River (1997)
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6 wins & 9 nominations.
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Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Tien Miao | ... | Father | |
| Kang-sheng Lee | ... | Hsiao-Kang | |
| Yi-Ching Lu | ... | Mother (as Hsiao-Ling Lu) | |
| Ann Hui | ... | Director (as Anne Hui) | |
| Shiang-chyi Chen | ... | Girl | |
| Chao-jung Chen | ... | Anonymous Man | |
 |
Shiao-Lin Lu | ... | Mother's lover (as Long Chang) |
| Kuei-Mei Yang | ... | Girl in Hotel | |
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
In Taiwan, Xiao-kang, a young man in his early 20s, lives with his parents in near silence. He is plagued by severe neck pain. His father is bedeviled by water first leaking into his bedroom and then flooding the apartment; rain is incessant. Xiao-kang's mother is overcome by sexual longing for her son, sometimes making seemingly incestuous overtures. They try virtually every intervention for Xiao-kang's neck: Western medicine, a chiropractor, acupuncture, an herbal doctor, and a faith healer, Master Liu. Are the family's silent dynamics and Xiao-kang's neck pain connected? And what about the body floating in the Tamsui River: is everything dead? Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>
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[Hsiao-kang turns off the lights]
Girl: The curtains, too.
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Did You Know?
Trivia
On the set of Vive L'Amour, whose production immediately preceded The River, star Lee Kang-sheng dealt with chronic neck pains which inspired this film. See more »Quotes
Girl: Hsiao-kang, I want to go pee. Could you turn off the lights?[Hsiao-kang turns off the lights]
Girl: The curtains, too.
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See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
TaiwanLanguage:
MandarinRelease Date:
7 August 1997 (Taiwan) See more »Also Known As:
The River See more »Filming Locations:
Taipei City, TaiwanCompany Credits
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Every second of this film is calculated. Whether it is a shadow crossing a bed or the obstructed view out a doorway. It is an excellent story about taboo and how defilement can exist in many ways. The audience watches as a white-clad, pristine, Taiwanese youth is marred by his immediate environment, a close friend, and then his own family. The director illustrates Tai Pei as a filthy industrial cesspool by concentrating the film's landscape in the inner city.
Besides the subject matter, the director uses agonizing long shots to make the audience uncomfortable. There is no soothing music, only the roar of cars and other urban noise. It left me breathless. The best film I have seen to date.