The Hole (1998 film)

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The Hole
Directed by Tsai Ming-liang
Produced by Cheng Su-ming
Chiu Shun-Ching
Written by Tsai Ming-liang
Yang Pi-ying
Starring Lee Kang-sheng
Yang Kuei-Mei
Distributed by Fox Lorber
Release date(s) March 24, 1999 (France)
Running time 95 min.
69 min. (Taiwan)
Country Taiwan
Language Mandarin
Taiwanese
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

The Hole is a 1998 musical directed by Tsai Ming-liang. In the film, a strange disease hits Taiwan a week before the turn of the millennium. Despite evacuation orders, tenants of a rundown apartment building stay put, and the disease causes the tenants to act strangely. Director Tsai loves to use water as a metaphor for sex and love. In contrast to the pouring rain and the leaking water in the woman's apartment, the woman has no love and no sex. The only outlet she has is the hole on the ceiling, which is dug by a plumber who tried to fix the leaking problem. In the end of the movie, the woman is lifted up through the hole to the man's apartment. This is like the most romantic movie Director Tsai has ever made.

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