The Wayward Cloud – Tian bian yi duo yun (2005)

Directed by: Tsai Ming-Liang | 112 minutes | drama, comedy, musical | Actors: Kang-sheng Lee, Shiang-chyi Chen, Yi-Ching Lu, Kuei-Mei Yang, Sumomo Yozakura, Huan-Wen Hsiao, Hui-Xun Lin, Kuo-Xuan Jao, Shu-Mei Hung, David Yang, Huan- Wen Wu, Yu-Wei Chang, Xun-You Chou, Lee-Hsing Huang, Tian-Fu Hsu

Ming-liang Tsai is a director whose films have such typical characteristics that you recognize them immediately. He always investigates love and sometimes uses controversial images, but above all a lot of symbolism. In ‘The Wayward Cloud’, Tsai uses a bizarre mix of watermelons, porn and musicals to indicate the strange love between two people. The sequel to ‘What Time Is It There?’ is slightly more accessible than his other work, but remains a rare experience.

Taipei is ravaged by a prolonged drought and water is rationed. Watermelons are a cheaper alternative and are sold in large numbers. Hsiao-Kang (Kang-sheng Lee), a watch salesman in the previous film, is now a porn actor in low-budget sex films. He doesn’t like the work, but he seems to be doing it to escape his past life. He runs into Shiang-chyi (Shiang-chyi Chen), the girl he dated years ago, and the two pick up their strange relationship. Tsai again makes full use of his usual style icons: stretched scenes, no music, virtually no conversation and a static camera. Sometimes this is very reinforcing, as in the scene where Hsiao-Kang is back home with Shiang-chyi for the first time, and they start cooking together laughing. On the other hand, especially the length of the scenes in which almost nothing happens, comes across as very forced. Tsai should dose this a little better, because after the umpteenth silence of five minutes, boredom sets in.

One striking aspect, however, stands out: the musical intermezzos. At set moments, the film is interrupted by colorful mini-musicals that literally sing about the emotional state of the protagonists. The performance is humorous, bizarre and spicy. In one scene, dozens of girls dressed as condoms sing about the happiness of the love of the big penis; Hsiao-Kang in a penis suit. The relationship between Hsiao-Kang and Shiang-chyi creeps forward, but it reaches an unexpected climax at the end. The innocence of the love between the two characters suddenly seems to take a major turn and the fairly explicit sex scenes in the film are suddenly in a different light. What Tsai is trying to tell us is not exactly clear. Maybe nothing, maybe we should fill it in ourselves or maybe it just seemed funny to him. The latter is a possibility as the sex scenes never get exciting or erotic. Rather empty, and often witty thanks to the presence of the clumsy film crew. Ming-liang Tsai clearly makes films for a special audience.

For fans of the Taiwanese, ‘The Wayward Cloud’ may not go into depth enough like the heavy ‘Vive l’amour’. For the curious, despite the improved accessibility, his style may be a bit too unappealing. ‘The Wayward Cloud’ threatens to fall a bit between the two. And that’s a shame, because in the end there is enough to see and feel.