There are many who say Marcel Duchamp was the greatest influence in 20th century art, but for better or worse is hotly debated. One can put a commode on a dais in an art gallery and there will be those wearing berets and smoking French cigarettes who will examine it closely as they discuss in hushed and reverent tones the significance of the fact that anyone seated on it would be facing north, or whatever point of the compass a user would happen to be facing. Then there would be others, among whom I would be one, who would look at it and say, "OK. It's a toilet. So what?"
Whether you considers Ming-liang Tsai's "The River" a work of cinematic genius exploring the soulessness of modern existence in an urban landscape (see most of the previous comments), or an uncommonly tedious exercise in pointing out the obvious by a self-indulgent director (yes, that's my opinion) is obviously a matter of taste. Personally, I don't need to pay money and walk into a theater to sit through two hours of some Asiatic form of Dogme 95 film-making to know that spiritual ennui is the price extracted for living in today's industrialized world. I can get on the subway where I live and see it all around me, also in real time, and with much better lighting.
With very little dialogue, "The River" relies almost exclusively on cinematic technique, often involving images in reflective surfaces to indicate (insert metaphorical reference of your choice here). The film does have the virtue of being made up of extremely well-composed shots, and if viewed strictly from a photographic standpoint, it does have some artistic merit. But on the whole, I find little to recommend this film. There are far better movies out there to be seen. Rating: 3/10.
Whether you considers Ming-liang Tsai's "The River" a work of cinematic genius exploring the soulessness of modern existence in an urban landscape (see most of the previous comments), or an uncommonly tedious exercise in pointing out the obvious by a self-indulgent director (yes, that's my opinion) is obviously a matter of taste. Personally, I don't need to pay money and walk into a theater to sit through two hours of some Asiatic form of Dogme 95 film-making to know that spiritual ennui is the price extracted for living in today's industrialized world. I can get on the subway where I live and see it all around me, also in real time, and with much better lighting.
With very little dialogue, "The River" relies almost exclusively on cinematic technique, often involving images in reflective surfaces to indicate (insert metaphorical reference of your choice here). The film does have the virtue of being made up of extremely well-composed shots, and if viewed strictly from a photographic standpoint, it does have some artistic merit. But on the whole, I find little to recommend this film. There are far better movies out there to be seen. Rating: 3/10.