Vive l’amour – Ai qing wan sui (1994)

Directed by: Tsai Ming-liang | 118 minutes | drama | Actors: Chen Chao-jung, Lee Kang-sheng, Yang Kuei-Mei, Lu Yi-Ching

The lonely soul and the big city. As a theme, this combination is probably timeless, but it flourished in the ‘modern’ 20th century. From the paintings of Edward Hopper to the novels of Brett Easton Ellis, we found time and again that the small man is no measure of the big city. Intoxication from drink and drugs, suicide, meaningless loves, all because of a social being’s fear of becoming isolated from his fellow man.

We see that this problem is not a typical Western phenomenon in the Taiwanese drama ‘Vive l’amour’ (irony is therefore not a typical Western phenomenon either). In this slow art-house drama from 1994, we meet three young people in the big city of Taipei City. Mei works for a real estate agency, Hsiao-kang is a sales representative, Ah-jung is a street vendor of the semi-legal kind. When Mei and Ah-jung have a one-night stand in a luxury apartment for sale, they don’t realize that one of the bedrooms is where Hsiao-kang has taken temporary illegal residence.

This nice premise doesn’t get a narrative sequel. We follow the three characters as they do their jobs, stroll through the city and meet every now and then. They don’t get a real bond, they remain three lonely souls in a big city. Like a living painting by Hopper.

‘Vive l’amour’ has plenty of qualities, but what the film doesn’t have are believable characters. They are normal, fairly social types, but they live their lives in complete isolation. Why they have no friends, no relatives to speak, not even vague acquaintances? We don’t know and we don’t believe it. Only Hsiao-kang may have a valid reason for his loneliness, the other two resemble aliens unable to really connect with Earthlings.

It’s a shame, because this drama has plenty to offer. Even without a plot, the individual scenes are worthwhile and meaningful. Hsiao-kang as a spectator at a strange business workshop, Mei longing in the bath, Ah-jung as a silent seducer. The silence is not limited to Ah-jung, the film hardly has any dialogue. The city sounds, on the other hand, are loud and shrill, contrasting with the peaceful silence of the apartment. Visually, you can also enjoy ‘Vive l’amour’, with many beautiful finds, a lot of symbolism and a beautiful color palette. All that doesn’t make this Taiwanese drama the classic you were hoping for, but it’s definitely worth it.