The River

In some ways, Ming-liang Tsai's 1997 film, The River, is typical in the depiction of Tsai's themes and motifs. It is another look at modern alienation and disconnect within the city that features little dialogue, rain and water, scenes of mundane everyday activities-eating, sleeping, using the toilet, etc. juxtaposed with joyless sex and unfulfilled emotional lives throughout the duration of the film. It chronicles a dysfunctional family that barely operates as a cohesive unit, but the parents are forced to deal with their son's possible pyschosomatic neck injury that is debilitating. The parents are in a sexless, and probably loveless marriage, but soldier on seeking gratification outside the home. Perhaps, this is what sets the film apart from the others I have seen-the bleakness, the lack of hope, change, redemption or hope for the broken family that endures instead of living joyfully in the present. I read a comment about the film that compared Wong Kar-wai to Godard and Tsai to Antonioni, which seems like a fair comparison to me. Tsai like the Italian neo-realist is excellent in depicting the cold, alienation of the modern city and technology as well as industry creeping into modern life which is full of people unable to connect with one another.