The Hole

This Taiwanese film interleaves two worlds: the external and prosaic existence of its two central characters, a man and a woman who inhabit a bleak urban landscape of decaying apartment buildings; and their internal thoughts and feelings which take the cinematic form of Hollywood-style song-and-dance numbers. A hole which is created in the ceiling between two apartments becomes a means for communication between the apartments' solitary occupants - conventional methods of contact are available, but are not utilised, for reasons never fully explained. The action unfolds with an almost unbearable slowness, reflecting the characters' lack of any sense of purpose or direction. In spite of (perhaps because of) this, it remains a rewarding and, at times, amusing tale, which is worth looking out for.

It's less visceral than the only other Tsai film I've seen ("Vive L'amour"), but the idea of doorways (holes) into others' emotions and existences is vividly portrayed here, as Tsai sets up long shot after long shot, usually with long takes, suggesting a sense of alienation in Taipei. The musical interludes, inspired by Grace Chang, are perplexing but welcome mile-markers that add new dimensions to the slowly evolving relationship between the young man upstairs and the woman downstairs. It's not necessarily an easy film to watch (although it's not heavy-handed by any means), so I'd warn any casual viewers who are looking for some "indie" entertainment (like Tarantino or Guy Ritchie). But if you'd like to know something about isolation among city-dwellers in Taiwan, and something more universal about city alienation and romantic yearning, then watch this film immediately.

This film is a must see if it comes to your city. It doesn't have much dialogue and the subject matter is very dark. I was very surprised with how the story progressed. Also, there is a lot of tongue in cheek humor sprinkled throughout.

The whole world is falling prey to a lethal disease, and rain never stops pouring down : nevertheless, in this atmosphere of nightmare, a man and a woman discover that they are neighbors, thanks to a hole in the floor of the man's apartment. They fall in love : at least, all would not have been lost. Although this wonderful film expresses the loneliness and the weakness of human being, there is also some room for hope, in the shiny singing scenes.

"You cannot survive on rainwater alone."

So intones an unnamed government official at the beginning of The Hole, addressing the obstinate residents of an unnamed apartment building, who refuse to move out of their homes even though their area has become overrun by a mysterious plague that causes people to behave like cockroaches (and then die off, of course). The words take on an irony when we see that, in this apocalyptic world, rain never stops falling and the apartments' residents struggle to keep leaks from destroying their remaining possessions.

There's not much to be said about plot here - a plumber visits a man because the woman below is complaining about leaks, and leaves a hole in the floor behind. The man above and the woman below take turns blocking up the hole and tearing away the other person's efforts to do the same - both of them seem loath to give up this one human connection.

It IS their only human connection. The woman below lives in utter seclusion, mopping up the floor and stopping up leaks in a pale imitation of a life. For all intents and purposes, she's a cockroach already, hiding in a dark, dank hole. The man above goes to his store every day, although his only customers are a starving cat and a confused old man whose favourite brands no longer exist. They go about their lives as though nothing were amiss, living quite apart. The rest of the apartment seems inhabited, but nobody stirs. Doubtless they're all also sitting in their little holes and trying to live their little lives.

Here, Tsai is brutally satirizing the increasing lack of communication between human beings; even in the face of the end of the world, people remain isolated in their own little bubbles. This message was clearly prophetic, because the 2000s have come and people are living more apart than ever before; The Hole aims to unveil the absurdity of day-to-day life.

It's also worth noting that there are four musical numbers that begin at unexpected moments. A woman dances and sings in gaudy clothes and with loud instrumentals playing in the background. In one such scene, she and the man she pursues dance around and around as the traces of a fumigation rise up from the stairs and envelop them. These moments alone in the film do not resemble human behaviour; ironically, they're the only ones that make sense. The roaches' compulsion to hide, too, makes sense. It's human nature that's the absurdity.