SFIFF: GoodBye, South, GoodBye
As the movie begins I was like, what's going on? And then I catch on. The camera doesn't always follow the audio. Instead, even though you're listening, your eye wanders around, watching the people, looking for details.
And so you spend the movie observing, soaking in the colors, and the sounds, and the music. The characters are interesting enough, small time crooks trying to make a big score, and getting into trouble. They have dreams, loves, things that aren't working out.
The whole movie has an ethereal quality. This was the first Hsiao-hsien Hou movie I really understood. I had seen Millenium Mambo before this one, and it lost me somewhere in the middle.
There are many movies made, but few really sweep you away. This one did, for me.