Review of What Time Is It There? (2001) by Eric B — 04 Jul 2010

Images speak for themselves in Tsai's invigorating cinematic ouvre. Ni na bian ji dian is almost as symbolic as a modern Lynch masterpiece; Thailand is shown through a low-class scope where silence plays the most important role in the characters' inner desperation. Life is an enormous chess board: the game is unpredictable and there are several ways in which you can win, but half of the circumstances are out of your control. Besides, the game is too short. Human emotions felt to their most extreme boundaries become, ultimately, in the most intense escapism available. The loneliness of completely separate individuals, both in the physical and spiritual levels, is connected regardless of kilometric distance.

100/100.