| Vive L'Amour | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Tsai Ming-liang |
| Produced by | Chung Hu-pin Hsu Li Kong |
| Written by | Tsai Ming-liang Tsai Yi-chun Yang Pi-ying |
| Starring | Lee Kang-sheng Chen Chao-jung Yang Kuei-Mei |
| Distributed by | Strand Releasing (U.S.) |
| Release date(s) | 2 September 1994 (premiere at VFF) July 22, 1996 |
| Running time | 118 minutes 120 minutes (Argentina) |
| Country | Taiwan |
| Language | Mandarin |
Vive L'Amour (Chinese: 愛情萬歲 Aiqing wansui) is a 1994 Taiwanese New Wave film by Tsai Ming-liang. It is a slow-paced film with sparse dialogue about urban alienation, centering on three people who unknowingly share an apartment in Taipei.
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Hsiao-kang (Lee Kang-sheng), a young salesman, discovers a key to an apartment in its lock and takes it. He soon moves into one of the bedrooms, and one night he attempts to commit suicide by slitting his wrists while lying on the bed.
Meanwhile, Ah-jung (Chen Chao-jung) is drinking coffee at a cafe when a beautiful real estate agent, May Lin (Yang Kuei-Mei), sits at the table next to his. Intrigued, he follows her as she walks down the street. Lin catches on and eventually joins him. She leads him to a vacant apartment that she is trying to sell — the same apartment that Hsiao-kang is staying in — and they have sex in one of the bedrooms. Hsiao-kang hears them and stops the bleeding from his wrists.
Ah-jung steals the key to the apartment from Lin and later returns with his belongings. He moves into one of the adjoining bedrooms. That night, he and Hsiao-kang encounter each other in the apartment and have a short argument.
May Lin spends her day trying to sell property. While taking a break, she returns to the apartment when Hsiao-kang and Ah-jung are both there. The two sneak out quietly together and soon form a friendship.
One night, Hsiao-kang goes out for a walk and meets Ah-jung selling dresses on the street. May Lin walks past but does not notice them. Soon, Ah-jung joins her at a food stand and the two return to the apartment and sleep together in the same room as they did the first time. Unbeknownst to them, Hsiao-kang is hiding under the bed as they arrive, and he masturbates as the bed creaks above him.
The next morning, May Lin gets dressed and leaves. Hsiao-kang lies next to the sleeping Ah-jung and kisses him before slowly pulling away. Lin goes to her car but cannot start it and instead walks on a pathway near some construction sites. She then sits down on a bench and starts to cry uncontrollably.
The film won three Golden Horse Awards, for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Sound Effects. It also won the prestigious Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival.[1]
It has an 80% "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[2]
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