Having seen this before the flawless masterpiece "Goodbye, Dragon Inn" and actually coming out of them both with this still in my mind (after all the power and beauty of GDI), clearly shows the brilliance and vision of Ming-Liang's later films.
I must admit - I didn't like his films before. The long takes seemed unnecessary and most of his films felt plain and boring. Most notably "The River", which was incredibly overrated.
But now, the difference !
His dogma hasn't changed - Ming-Liang still uses the same visual concepts of long planes and minimalism, but he takes it to a never before seen level of freshness and beauty. Forget "The River"'s boring tone. This and "GDI" share a lyricism and an underlying humor that few films have managed to capture.
Make no mistake about it - he is most creative and honest film maker today. This small comedic masterpiece is not only interesting on a visual level, it's brilliant in a hopeless, urban way.
If you have the privilege to see both this and "Goodbye, Dragon Inn", don't waste it.
You'll be seeing the best there is Cinema today.
Forget Von Trier, Lynch, the Andersons.
Ming-Liang is where it's at.