Qingshaonian Nuozha / Rebels of the Neon God

Hsiao Kang defies his parents and drops out of school to head for the bright lights of downtown Taipei. This groundbreaking film, which permanently changed the character of Taiwanese cinema, tells the story of several young people who divide their lives between visits to internet cafes, bars, fleeting or dysfunctional relationships, and an inability to communicate with their parents. In his directorial debut, Tsai Ming-liang employs a more dynamic editing style and the characters engage in richer dialogue, yet the film also contains stylistic elements characteristic of his future work. Tsai’s traditional sense of composition, shared by his longtime cinematographer Liao Pen-jung, and the elusive sound design, makes no distinction between the action in the foreground and the atmospheric sounds and noises in the background.

“I think it's best to start with this seeming contrast: intense emotion and rigorous calculation are commonly thought of as opposed to each other, and, outside of art, they usually are. It's probably best to say that Tsai, in his theatrical feature debut, found an aesthetic to go with his feelings, and feelings to go with his aesthetic.”

Mike Archibald

The film was preserved by the Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute.