In "Rebels of the Neon God," Hsiao Kang(Lee Kang-sheng) is going through a bit of a rough patch as he wants to drop out of cram school. First, he hurts his hand on a window and then his scooter is towed away. Not only does his father(Tien Miao), a cab driver, give him a ride but also talks about taking the rest of
the afternoon off and going to see a movie together. But that's when Ah Tze(Chen Chao-jung) comes into the picture. He is giving a ride home to Ah Kuei(Yu-Wen Wang) who had spent the previous night with his brother in their flooded apartment while Ah Tze was out committing petty acts of larceny with his friend Ah Bing(Chang-bin Jen).
Even with his bittersweet first feature, "Rebels of the Neon God," Tsai Ming-liang shows remarkable assurance in crafting a story the is deceptively elegant and subtly told. All of which is in the service of depicting youth who are trying to discover themselves, while at the same time missing opportunities that pass them by. To be honest, they are not cognizant of the effects this has on their lives or on others because they are living purely in the moment. Hsiao Kang may know that he does not want to be another faceless cog in the machine. He just does not know what he wants. It is his parents who have an eye on his future because they have already lived it. So while they save every penny for his education, they cannot help to dream.
May 18, 2011
