In 2014, Tsai Ming-Liang was invited to make a film for the MarseilleFID, Marseille International Film Festival. Since he was not familiar with Marseille, he decided to make a film as tourist, capturing the beautiful Mediterranean sunshine in the late summer of that year. He also invited famous French actor, Denis Lavant, to appear alongside Lee Kang-Sheng playing Xuanzang. "Journey to the West" was invited to be the opening short film at the Berlin International Film Festival the same year.
Popularity
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User score
6.3 / 10
31 votes
1 USER REVIEW
Reno
6/14/2016
7 / 10
> Something a very unique achievement to video document!
This is nothing like anything I have ever seen before. Quite an interesting film, but not for everyone. Yep, I thought it was boring in the opening, but later I get used to it and began to analyse. A film that has only a concept, but there's no beginning or the ending. However, displaying the film subject in the variety of angles was stunning. Sometimes I was keenly looking for where the subject has gone. At sometime it felt like a lazy afternoon under the shades while bright sunlight was on the other side.
It was a Taiwan-French co-production and an hour long film that documents a Buddhist monk who has undertaken a slow walk procession in the streets of southern France coast city Marseille which is accompanied by a French actor. It reminded me the recent animation I had seen 'Zootopia', where sloths comes into the scene. Had so much fun, but in not here.
I don't know what the monk did was called, but definitely it is a fine study material. Like in this modern world where everything is fast and superfast, what it would be like being superslow and how people reacts to it. Actually, many were simply minding their own business, but a few were curiously looking at, like a cultural and/or the religious difference is something to do with it. A cool film, an art film, but not recommended unless you're not looking for the entertainment only.
7/10
