The Hole

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1:22

The Hole

Jul 2026

1h 29m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

85%

Tomatometer

20 Reviews

84%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

Set just prior to the start of the 21st century, this vaguely futuristic story follows two residents of a quickly crumbling building who refuse to leave their homes in spite of a virus that has forced the evacuation of the area. As rain pours down relentlessly, a single man is stuck with an unfinished plumbing job and a hole in his floor. This results in a very odd relationship with the woman who lives below him. Combining deadpan humor with an austere view of loneliness and a couple of unexpected musical numbers, Tsai Ming-Liang crafted one of the most original films of the 1990s. Produced for French television's 2000 Seen by... series, this was originally broadcast in a 69- minute version called Last Dance. This longer version is the director's preferred cut.

Critics Consensus

Hauntingly surreal and refreshingly original, The Hole finds love and horror in the humdrum rhythm of quarantine life.

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Geoff Andrew

Time Out

09/22/2020

Idiosyncratic, of course, but immensely impressive.

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Christy Lemire

FilmWeek (LAist)

09/15/2020

It's a fascinating combination of reality and the fantastical notion of the ways in which we cope.

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Justin Chang

Los Angeles Times

09/14/2020

The feelings that "The Hole" awakens will be recognizable to anyone, even if no one else could possibly have made it.

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Panos Kotzathanasis

Asian Movie Pulse

3d

8

Blending dystopian science fiction, deadpan comedy and glamorous musical numbers performed to the songs of Grace Chang, "The Hole" stars Lee Kang-sheng and Yang Kuei-mei and is essentially one of the best samples of the Taiwanese New Wave

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Noah Schwartz

Film Threat

10/12/2020

5/10

Despite a strong premise, powerful visuals, and excellent performances, I could not even grasp what it was trying to say by the end.

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Mattie Lucas

From the Front Row

09/15/2020

3.5/4

Tsai's Kafakaesque existential nightmare turns quarantine into a uniquely harrowing love story, its digressions into abstraction in turn terrifying and rapturous.

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Dark D

@RT65718715 Feb 5

This is no surreal in my world, just a very touching love story presented in a weirdfully artful way. Bonus features include a hot male protagonist in tightey whitees and hilarious, lush musical interludes featuring the songs of the fabulously glamorous and talented Grace Chang.

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02/07/2017

Taiwanese film is dystopian in the most minimalist way, yet vibrant in a more visible sense. Thanks be to really dreamy musical numbers that enchant even on a shoe-string budget.

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09/19/2015

An epidemic hits Taiwan, people who suffered from the disease become cockroach like in terms of their behaviour. A plumber created a hole in a man's apartment and the man and his neighbour began to suffer from the delusions and hallucinations of the effect of the disease. The hole represented the depression in a socially planned urban environment, everyone fills it with different methods. The hole is also a musical that juxtaposed the depression with cheerful tunes.

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04/10/2015

Shitty apartment building.

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08/03/2013

(*** 1/2): [img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon14.gif[/img]

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05/04/2013

like my favorite depression era cinema: bleak as all hell, with musical numbers!!

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Ming-liang Tsai

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Kuei-Mei Yang

The Woman Downstairs

Lee Kang-sheng

The Man Upstairs

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Tong Hsiang-chu

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The Hole: Trailer 1

1:22

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Synopsis

Set just prior to the start of the 21st century, this vaguely futuristic story follows two residents of a quickly crumbling building who refuse to leave their homes in spite of a virus that has forced the evacuation of the area. As rain pours down relentlessly, a single man is stuck with an unfinished plumbing job and a hole in his floor. This results in a very odd relationship with the woman who lives below him. Combining deadpan humor with an austere view of loneliness and a couple of unexpected musical numbers, Tsai Ming-Liang crafted one of the most original films of the 1990s. Produced for French television's 2000 Seen by... series, this was originally broadcast in a 69- minute version called Last Dance. This longer version is the director's preferred cut.

Director: Ming-liang Tsai
Producer: Peggy Chiao, Carole Scotta, Caroline Benjo
Screenwriter: Ming-liang Tsai, Yang Ping-ying
Distributor: Big World Pictures
Production Co: China Television (CTV), Arc Light Films, Buena Vista (Walt Disney), Haut et Court, La Sept-Arte, Central Motion Pictures Corporation
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Chinese
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 10, 2026, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): May 22, 2017
Runtime: 1h 29m