Rebels of the Neon God
Director: Tsai Ming-Liang
Year Released: 1992
Rating: 3.5
The first Tsai film makes sense in hindsight - I don't know if I would have been receptive to it without seeing Vive L'Amour, The Hole and his later films first. Disillusionment abounds in Taiwan as lost teens get drunk, play arcade games, drop out of school and commit crimes - it makes for a compelling parallel to American youth's ennui. His handling of the medium is impressive even at this point - the ability to intertwine multiple characters' lives has always been his forte - and he is clearly gifted in handling metaphors and symbolism - the cockroach scene at the beginning of the movie acts a metaphor for the events to follow.
