An old story on a new island that would grow to be an auteurial continent, Tsai Ming-Liang’s 1992 “Rebels of the Neon God” faintly resembles “Rebel Without a Cause” recast in an impossibly wet, loud and despairing Taipei, Taiwan. The depressing familiarity of story suggests that teenagers—or the filmmakers who invent them—are a nationality unto themselves. The characters, including a student, two petty-thief brothers with a flooded apartment, and a roller-rink hostess, commit petty crimes and suffer self-inflicted indignities amongst din of traffic, video games, roller-rink music, cheeky pop. Homoerotic undercurrents surface: family can’t help, love is unlikely. But the spare visuals are lovely, such as a footchase through the exotic neon tackiness of Taipei street markets, and light that plays off a flooded apartment floor rippling over darkened walls. Tsai’s essential visual vocabulary came nearly fully-formed. 108m (Ray Pride)
“Rebels Of The Neon God” plays at Siskel in a digital restoration June 6, 9 and 10; a 35mm archival print will be shown June 7.
Ray Pride is Newcity’s Senior Editor and Film Critic. He is a contributing editor of Filmmaker magazine.
Ray’s history of Chicago Ghost Signs is planned for publication next year. Previews of the project are on Twitter and on Instagram. More photography on Instagram.
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