Qingshaonian Nuozha

The story of "Rebels of the Neon God" looks quite simple. The main characters are a student with a scooter and a petty thief with a motorbike. The student is jealous of the petty thief, because he has beautiful girls on his luggage rack. Behind this simple story there are however a couple of more generic themes.

In the first place there is the conflict between the generation of the parents (who beieve in traditional Gods) and the generation of the main characters (who believe in the Neon God). This generation conflict is not unlike that in the classical movie "Rebel without a cause" (1955, Nicholas Ray).

In the second place there is a striking difference between "Rebels of the Neon God" and the films of the fifth generation of directors in China (including Zhang Yimou). In the Chinese films there is a longing for more freedom (after 1989). In "Rebels of a Neon God" the main characters just don't know what to do with their freedom in the prospering economies of the Asian tigers.

Finally the ugliness and coldness of the city of Taipei is notable. It resembles the coldness of Berlin in "Christiane F" (1981, Uli Edel). Where the main characters in 1981 were additcted to drugs, in "Rebels of the Neon God" the gambling halls and gambling addiction are more prominent. In this respect "Rebels of the Neon God" is definitely modern, not to say ahead of its time.