Goodbye, Dragon Inn

In Taipei, a decrepit cinema is showing its last film before closing: a 1960s classic sword film, Dragon Inn by King Hu. A few people wander among the seats, and the strange ballet of the few souls in the room is matched by the fragments of choreographed sword fights on the screen: a young Japanese moves from seat to seat, looking for adventure, a cashier wanders the endless staircases and corridors looking for the projectionist, two old actors observe their performance from yesteryear on the screen, ghosts pass by... People are shy or quiet, and this silence creates genuine erotic tension. And time expands to the point of stopping: melancholy and cinema seem to collide.

With this film-tribute to the cinema of his childhood, Tsai Ming-Liang positions himself on the fine line between past and present, with infinite tenderness.


Your Face (BM19), I Don’t Want to Sleep Alone (BM18, 2008 et 2007), Afternoon (BM16), La Saveur de la pastèque (BM14 et 2008), Stray Dogs (BM14), Walker (Beautiful) (BM13), The Hole (BM12), Boys (BM08), Et là-bas quelle heure est-il ? (BM08), Goodbye Dragon Inn (BM08), Les Rebelles du Dieu Néon (BM08), The River (BM08), Vive l’amour (BM08)

Homegreen Films / Taiwan / Claude Wang / kumo924097@gmail.com