While never-ending rain and a strange disease spread by cockroaches ravage Taiwan, a plumber makes a hole between two apartments and the inhabitants of each form a unique connection, enacted in musical numbers.
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Title: The Hole (1998)
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7 wins & 5 nominations.
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Cast
| Cast overview: | |||
| Kuei-Mei Yang | ... | The Woman Downstairs | |
| Kang-sheng Lee | ... | The Man Upstairs | |
| Tien Miao | ... | A Shopper | |
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Hui-Chin Lin | ... | A Neighbor |
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Hsiang-Chu Tong | ... | The Plumber |
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Kun-huei Lin | ... | The Kid |
| Shiang-chyi Chen | ... | (voice) | |
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Daphne Han | ... | (voice) |
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Bo-Chin Wei | ... | (voice) |
| Jacques Picoux | ... | (voice) | |
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Chih-yen Yee | ... | (voice) |
| Yi-Ching Lu | ... | (voice) (as Hsiao-Ling Lu) | |
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
A strange disease starts to affect people in Taiwan just before the year 2000. The authorities order everyone to evacuate, but some tenants of an apartment building stay put, including a shop owner who lives by himself. One day, a plumber goes to the shop owner's apartment to check the pipes. The plumber drills a small hole in the floor, which comes down through the ceiling of another apartment. The hole never gets repaired, and this leads to some tension between the shop owner and the woman who lives below him. Written by Patrick Lin
Taglines:
A search for intimacy in a world of disaster.Certificate:
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Details
Language:
MandarinRelease Date:
24 March 1999 (France) See more »Also Known As:
The Hole See more »Company Credits
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Color:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
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The Man Upstairs: Maybe.
The Woman Downstairs: You have to. Or else it'll never get fixed.
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Quotes
The Woman Downstairs: Are you the tenant of apartment number 804? I'm your downstairs neighbor. The plumber will come and fix the hole this afternoon. Will you be home then?The Man Upstairs: Maybe.
The Woman Downstairs: You have to. Or else it'll never get fixed.
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It's less visceral than the only other Tsai film I've seen ("Vive L'amour"), but the idea of doorways (holes) into others' emotions and existences is vividly portrayed here, as Tsai sets up long shot after long shot, usually with long takes, suggesting a sense of alienation in Taipei. The musical interludes, inspired by Grace Chang, are perplexing but welcome mile-markers that add new dimensions to the slowly evolving relationship between the young man upstairs and the woman downstairs. It's not necessarily an easy film to watch (although it's not heavy-handed by any means), so I'd warn any casual viewers who are looking for some "indie" entertainment (like Tarantino or Guy Ritchie). But if you'd like to know something about isolation among city-dwellers in Taiwan, and something more universal about city alienation and romantic yearning, then watch this film immediately.