Matthew D
You want her to leave him behind in this neon blue world.
Director Hou Hsiao-hsien's Taiwanese romance drama Millennium Mambo (2001) is dreamy in visuals, but a nightmare scenario of a girl who cannot get away from her heinous boyfriend. His slow burn style forces you to pay attention and contemplate these characters realistically, but Millennium Mambo is as slow and expressive as his later picture The Assassin (2015), which also stars the adorable, alluring, and sympathetic Taiwanese actress Shu Qi. Millennium Mambo is as famous for its sorrowful characters, long take shots, moody blue lighting, atmospheric fog, and pulsing electronic club music, as it is for its quiet moments and reflective narration.
Writer Chu Tien-wen came up with an interesting story about a young girl involved with an abusive, junkie, unemployed boyfriend she cannot escape from, but has hope she can one day. I felt horrible for Vicky, yet empathized with her boredom, excitement, reflectiveness, and pain. It's intriguing how their dull life is fascinating from the night clubs, friendly encounters, couples fights, to entanglements with the police. I felt sorry for the girl Vicky the entire time and just wanted her to get away from this nonexistence of a life. From the waiting around to casual drug use of speed, weed, cigarettes, to worse, you can tell Vicky will go nowhere with Hao Hao as her terrible boyfriend.
Hao Hao is clearly a loser and abusive boyfriend. From lying to Vicky, hitting her, denying her graduating from high school by preventing her from taking her final exams, to his gross pawing and kissing her without passion, but with toxic control over her. You want her to leave him. It's wild to see how violent and controlling Hao-Hao gets even around their close friends, who do not help her. They too can only push Hao-Hao away as he gets jealous, commanding, and belligerent in clubs whenever other guys want to flirt with Shu Qi's cute and shy Vicky.
Editors Liao Ching-Sung and Ju-kuan Hsiao stylishly cut back and forth in time like we're seeing vignettes of Vicky's life rather than in chronological order. Their smooth cutting style is dreamy, soft, and carefully places us within scenes like we're spying on the characters in their intimate moments.
Cinematographer Mark Lee Ping-Bing's colorful red, green, and blue lighting looks immaculate. Millennium Mambo is visually captivating with long panning shots all in medium framing. The distance of the camera never lets us really into the character's personal space until the narration. I love the look of the film with the camera swaying back and forth with Taipei looking like a dream world outside the normal aesthetics of Taiwan. Production designer Huang Wen-Ying and Wang Chih-Cheng creates a cool, dark, and dismal apartment for the leads to lounge in throughout the film. Art direction from James David Goldmark focuses on faces and the bright lights shining on clothes for a neon blue or orange look to every scene.
Taiwanese actress Shu Qi is gorgeous, forlorn, and afraid as the miserable Vicky. Shu Qi is a brilliant actress in Gorgeous, Millennium Mambo, and The Assassin, so it's no surprise to see her devastatingly sad performance. She clearly shows with subtle expressions as well as words of rage all her frustrations at her awful boyfriend Hao-Hao, portrayed by the sleazy, creepy, and commanding Tuan Chun-ho. It's crazy to imagine Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung were supposed to be this toxic romantic pair right after their iconic romance drama of tender love entitled In the Mood for Love.
Composers Lim Giong and Yoshihiro Hanno really steal the show with heartbeat pounding techno music music. The variety of early 2000's club music sounds really cool and lonely, yet is obviously a blast to hear. Sound designers Tu Duu-chih and Li Chi Kuo keep the music loud in the background, but the voices are really quiet and natural. It can be hard to hear them speak, but the subtitles tell you everything anyways.
Costume designers Kazumi Hoshino and Yôji Yamada came up with these really cute 2000's outfits with fashion that was popular in Taipei at the time. Shu Qi's clothes are all really hot on her. Makeup artists Decor Elaine and Liao Shu-Chen do very pretty nightclub looks for the actresses, with Shu Qi getting stunning natural looks.
In short, Millennium Mambo is a compelling 106 minutes of frustration, fear, partying, excess, abuse, and sadness.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
07/17/23
Full Review
Avi B
Almost no plot, terribly slow. Constant puffing on cigarette seems to be a fill in for deep thought and drama.
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
01/11/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Another done by people who don't know their craft nor anything else for that matter.
Rated 1.5/5 Stars •
Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars
02/18/23
Full Review
jorge g
Slow, depressing and strangely compelling film. It does help that Shu Qi can just sit there doing nothing and still be a visual delight.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
Full Review
Audience Member
A slowpacer from Hsiao-Hsien Hou, an acclaimed but pretty overseen director from China. We are in Taipei and follow Vicky. She is a young, beautiful girl that slack around doing nothing much, just partying, drinking and taking drugs. She is dating Hao-Hao and they are on and off and I'm pretty sure she knows she is better off without him.
This film looks very good and it got a vibe that I really like. A cool score and a typical story that seem very believeable and real. Turning some bad habits around is not always easy and letting go of your rescent years habits and circle is probably even worse. Excellent performance by Qi Shu and something that sticks to you without any big scenes. That's kind of the problem here, it's boring - still pretty lovely. Few big scenes, characters that you never really get to know and a story that never really get's somewhere. Great music is a big plus. I beleive this film is a result of the directors interest and little knowledge about the young club culture. It's rememberable for it's atmosphere, the lead's performance and the camerawork, but nothing else.
6.5 out of 10 Rolexes.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
01/17/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Though not without its flaws and with a narration that feels at times (not always) redundant, this heartbreaking, melancholy film has an evocative cinematography (the first scene is memorable) and offers an honest portrait of a generation of youths trying to find their way in life.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
02/14/23
Full Review
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