No two cities are alike. Because of this, every city has a different kind of urban consciousness. Especially after dark. Shot in 2019, Tsai Ming-Liang's experimental short “The Night” documents the heartbeat of Hong Kong's Causeway Bay over the span of a few hours after the sun has set.
The Night is Screening at the Museum of the Moving Image
Because of the very nature of this short, viewers are forced to look for subtleties within long shots of city ambiance. It might not seem like much is going on at first, but closer examination brings forward a few simple narratives of everyday life: two elderly ladies desperately try to hail a taxi; a restaurant's open door showcases a woman eating soup while people pass by on a sidewalk; hundreds of people cross the street at different moments. Getting a small glimpse into the lives of these people is simultaneously mundane and beautiful.
For this reason, the director of “Rebels of the Neon God” has created an artistic piece full of contradictions. Although it only consists of thirteen different shots, each shot is full of energy and cinematic splendor. Despite being a slice of ordinary city life, its subtle details become immediately captivating when they are discovered. And even though it is a viewing experience of only 20 minutes, it is likely bound to sit with its viewers for a long time afterwards.
There are barely any discernible noises throughout the entirety of “The Night,” other than a handful of enthusiastic sounds from passersby and grumbles from car engines. And there is no dialogue or music until the final few minutes of the short, when Pei Ni's ‘The Night is Too Beautiful to Last' is heard. The song opens with the lyrics, “The beautiful night is slipping away. Why can't we stop the hands of time?” Much like the singer, viewers will wish that this nocturnal moment could last forever.
