"Millennium Mambo" A flower running at the speed of sound, chasing fragments of the night

Meeting with Suu Kyi

Since "Millennium Mambo," Hou Hsiao-hsien's films have been moving in the direction of depicting female protagonists. As Hou Hsiao-hsien himself admits, his meeting with Suu Kyi was decisive. The presence of one actress changed the direction of the filmmaker, who had already built a renowned career with films such as " A City of Sadness " (1989). When Hou first visited his office, Suu Kyi had a fearless and wild air about her, as if she was saying, "Bring it on!"

The film was shot without a script, no rehearsals, or even pre-defined lines (instead, the situation was carefully detailed). The lines and movements were born from the actors as they went along. Hou Hsiao-hsien looks back on this film as "a collaboration with her (Suu Kyi)." Suu Kyi responded perfectly to this special shooting. The brilliance of Vicky-Suu Kyi, who cannot fit into the frame, is reflected on the screen. The happy collaboration between the two has produced four masterpieces, including the short film "La Belle Epoque" (2011), up to " Assassin in Black " (2015).

"Millennium Mambo 4K Restored Version" ©2001 3H Productions / Paradis Films / Orly Films/SinoMovie.com

According to " Hou Hsiao-hsien's Film Lectures ," after the screening of "Millennium Mambo" at the Cannes Film Festival, Suu Kyi returned to her hotel room and burst into tears in front of the mirror. It may have been at this moment that Suu Kyi first discovered "herself." After realizing that she was acting in front of the camera, this film changed her philosophy on acting and filmmaking itself. "Millennium Mambo" documents the liveliness and "life" of Hou Hsiao-hsien, the staff, and the cast including Suu Kyi. They develop characters together with the actors. Hou Hsiao-hsien himself also discovers his characters through Suu Kyi.

The gothic-punk-dressed woman that Suu Kyi played in the third part of the masterpiece with a romantic Japanese title, " One Hundred Years of Love " (05), seems to be a later appearance of Vicky. She was also a heroine with a tendency to self-harm. And in " The Assassin ," Suu Kyi plays an assassin who appears and disappears from the background, among the patterns. An assassin who can either kill or not kill a man. With her abilities, it seems possible to win everything. The heroine of " The Assassin, " whose existence itself is free, can be said to be the culmination of the feminist films by Hou Hsiao-hsien and Suu Kyi, which began with "Millennium Mambo."

Flowers of Taipei