Release CalendarDVD & Blu-ray ReleasesTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsIn TheatersComing SoonMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysAPA Heritage MonthSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)

The Hole

Original title: Dong
  • 19981998
  • 1h 35m
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
3.8K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • IMDbPro
Dong (1998)
Watch {VideoTitle}
Play trailer1:23
1 Video
14 Photos
  • Drama
  • Fantasy
  • Musical

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... Read allWhile 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.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.

IMDb RATING
7.5/10
3.8K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Ming-liang Tsai
  • Writers
    • Ming-liang Tsai
    • Pi-ying Yang
  • Stars
    • Kuei-Mei Yang
    • Kang-sheng Lee
    • Tien Miao
Top credits
  • Director
    • Ming-liang Tsai
  • Writers
    • Ming-liang Tsai
    • Pi-ying Yang
  • Stars
    • Kuei-Mei Yang
    • Kang-sheng Lee
    • Tien Miao
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 17User reviews
    • 24Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 7 wins & 5 nominations

    Videos1

    The Hole - Official US trailer
    Trailer 1:23
    The Hole - Official US trailer

    Photos14

    Kang-sheng Lee in Dong (1998)
    Dong (1998)
    Kang-sheng Lee in Dong (1998)
    Kang-sheng Lee in Dong (1998)
    Dong (1998)
    Kang-sheng Lee in Dong (1998)
    Kang-sheng Lee in Dong (1998)
    Kang-sheng Lee in Dong (1998)
    Kang-sheng Lee in Dong (1998)
    Dong (1998)
    Kang-sheng Lee in Dong (1998)
    Dong (1998)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Kuei-Mei Yang
    Kuei-Mei Yang
    • The Woman Downstairsas The Woman Downstairs
    Kang-sheng Lee
    Kang-sheng Lee
    • The Man Upstairsas The Man Upstairs
    Tien Miao
    Tien Miao
    • A Shopperas A Shopper
    Hui-Chin Lin
    • A Neighboras A Neighbor
    Hsiang-Chu Tong
    • The Plumberas The Plumber
    Kun-huei Lin
    • The Kidas The Kid
    Shiang-chyi Chen
    Shiang-chyi Chen
      Daphne Han
        Bo-Chin Wei
          Jacques Picoux
          Jacques Picoux
            Chih-yen Yee
            Chih-yen Yee
              Yi-Ching Lu
              Yi-Ching Lu
                • Director
                  • Ming-liang Tsai
                • Writers
                  • Ming-liang Tsai
                  • Pi-ying Yang
                • All cast & crew
                • See more cast details at IMDbPro

                More like this

                What Time Is It There?
                7.3
                What Time Is It There?
                Goodbye, Dragon Inn
                7.1
                Goodbye, Dragon Inn
                The River
                7.2
                The River
                Vive L'Amour
                7.4
                Vive L'Amour
                Rebels of the Neon God
                7.6
                Rebels of the Neon God
                The Wayward Cloud
                6.5
                The Wayward Cloud
                I Don't Want to Sleep Alone
                6.9
                I Don't Want to Sleep Alone
                Stray Dogs
                6.9
                Stray Dogs
                Visage
                5.9
                Visage
                Days
                6.6
                Days
                The Skywalk Is Gone
                6.9
                The Skywalk Is Gone
                Journey to the West
                6.8
                Journey to the West

                Storyline

                Edit
                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. —Patrick Lin
                • loneliness
                • art
                • existential loneliness
                • apartment
                • hole
                • 9 more
                • Plot summary
                • Add synopsis
                • Taglines
                  • A search for intimacy in a world of disaster.
                • Genres
                  • Drama
                  • Fantasy
                  • Musical
                  • Sci-Fi
                • Parents guide
                  • Add content advisory

                Did you know

                Edit
                • Quotes

                  The Man Upstairs: Can I help you, sir?

                  A Shopper: Do you have this kind of bean sauce?

                  The Man Upstairs: This brand was discontinued a long time ago. We have the same thing but only in a different brand.

                • Connections
                  Edited into 2000 vu par... Une collection internationale: Der letzte Tanz - La dernière danse (1998)
                • Soundtracks
                  Da pen ti
                  Performed by Grace Chang

                User reviews17

                Review
                Top review
                10/10
                Very creative; a masterpiece
                In the final days of the year 1999, most everyone in Taiwan has died. A strange plague has ravished the island. Supposedly spread by cockroaches, the disease sends its victims into a psychosis where they act like the insects. Eventually, they die. The Hole takes place in a crumbling apartment building (which is especially well created; kudos to the set designer!). Its two protagonists live right above and below each other. The woman is on the lower floor, and the pipes above her apartment are leaking fiercely, threatening to destroy her food supply, not to mention her sanity. She calls a plumber to go check it out, and he accidentally pokes a hole through the floor of the man's apartment. The two have never met before, and they come into contact through the hole.

                The script is quite brilliant. Few films are simultaneously this funny while remaining completely human, deeply exploring the human condition, especially feelings of loneliness and despair. Tsai's direction is simply beautiful. Like a lot of other Taiwanese directors, he uses a lot of long takes. But unlike, say, Hou Hsiao-Hsien, Tsai doesn't overuse them. In fact, I don't know if I've ever seen them used better. They're always effective and never tedious.

                It would be wrong to review this film without mentioning the musical numbers. Yes, The Hole is also a musical, and a great one, at that. In the film's best scenes - which is saying something, considering how good all the other scenes are - the man imagines that the woman is a singer, almost a cabaret singer. These numbers are fully choreographed, often with backup dancers and singers. In a stroke of genius, Tsai has these elaborately produced numbers take place in the crumbling building, the signs of apocalypse and decay unhidden. This provides both a sense of pathos and absurdity.

                The Hole is a film that begs to be seen. It ought to be a cult classic, if nothing else. Before I went to see this, I was told that it was a decent film, but probably Tsai Ming-liang's least good one. Well, if that is true, I just cannot wait to see another one! 10/10.
                helpful•32
                11
                • zetes
                • Mar 11, 2002

                Details

                Edit
                • Release date
                  • March 24, 1999 (France)
                • Countries of origin
                  • Taiwan
                  • France
                • Language
                  • Mandarin
                • Also known as
                  • The Last Dance
                • Production companies
                  • Arc Light Films
                  • Central Motion Pictures
                  • China Television (CTV)
                • See more company credits at IMDbPro

                Technical specs

                Edit
                • Runtime
                  1 hour 35 minutes
                • Color
                  • Color
                • Aspect ratio
                  • 1.85 : 1

                Related news

                Can Hollywood ever find a way to handle suicide correctly?
                Can Hollywood ever find a way to handle suicide correctly?
                May 16The Guardian - Film News
                Can Hollywood ever find a way to handle suicide correctly?
                Can Hollywood ever find a way to handle suicide correctly?
                May 16The Guardian - TV News

                Contribute to this page

                Suggest an edit or add missing content
                Dong (1998)
                Top Gap
                By what name was Dong (1998) officially released in India in English?
                Answer
                • See more gaps
                • Learn more about contributing
                Edit page

                More to explore

                View list
                List
                The Best Movies and Shows to Watch in May
                See the full list
                Image caption not available
                2:14
                The Most Anticipated Movies and Shows to Watch in May
                Watch the video

                Recently viewed

                Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
                Get the IMDb App
                • Get the IMDb App
                • Help
                • Site Index
                • IMDbPro
                • Box Office Mojo
                • IMDb Developer
                • Press Room
                • Advertising
                • Jobs
                • Conditions of Use
                • Privacy Policy
                • Interest-Based Ads

                © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.