Qianxi manbo (2001)

Winner of the Grand Prix Technique at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival, Hou Hsiao Hsien's MILLENNIUM MAMBO is a strikingly beautiful film set in Taipei's hot nightclub scene. The remarkable Shu Qi stars as Vicky, a lost soul who hangs out partying with her friends, smoking nonstop, and dancing and flirting. She lives with Hao-Hao (Tuan Chun-hao), but he doesn't seem to excite her anymore, so she starts seeing an older gangster, Jack (Jack Kao), although the depth of the relationship is left purposely ambiguous. Although Vicky wants to be a free spirit, she is battling demons that cast dark shadows over her somewhat meaningless existence.

One of the world's greatest filmmakers, Hou Hsiao Hsien (FLOWERS OF SHANGHAI, THE PUPPETMASTER) has made a daring film that, despite lacking a central plot or mainstream linear narrative, is absolutely mesmerizing; Mark Lee Ping-Bing's cinematography is stunning, using a neon palette to create a mysterious aura over the entire movie. The thumping techno soundtrack adds to the overall feeling of ennui. But this is Shu Qi's film all the way; it's impossible for viewers to take their eyes off her as she wanders in slow motion across a walkway or pushes her face gently into the snow. Hsiao Hsien envisions

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