In 2013, Tsai Ming-Liang released his tenth feature film, Stray Dogs. The film starred Lee Kang-sheng, who had not only starred in every one of Tsai’s previous features but was also the defining reason behind Tsai’s style of filmmaking. Together, the two created some of the best films of the last twenty years, but more significantly, they grew as both artists and individuals. In fact, we’ve been watching Lee so long that we’ve seen him change physically over time — and we’ve seen him go through profound pain and the occasional pleasure. Ultimately, Lee is Tsai’s filmmaking vessel and muse — without Lee Kang-sheng, there is no Tsai Ming-Liang.
If you liked this video, then you’ll want to read up on other Taiwanese auteurs, like Hou Hsiao-Hsien and Edward Yang. Plus, don’t miss all of Fandor’s latest, like How “Halloween” Became a Horror Classic, “The Faculty” is Pure 1990s Sci-fi Nostalgia and The Coolest Movie Jackets of the 1960s.
