Hsiao-Kang: Lee Kang-Sheng	Mother: Lu Yi-Ching
Shiang-Chyi: Chen Shiang-Chyi	Father: Miao Tien
Woman in Paris: Cecilia Yip	Man in Cemetery: Jean-Pierre Leaud
Director: Tsai Ming-Liang

30 Second Bottom Line: A young man who sells watches on the streets of Taipei becomes infatuated with a young customer who leaves for Paris. Troubled by his father's death and his mother's inconsolable grief, he changes every clock within reach to Paris time in an effort to connect with his new romantic dream.

Story Line: An old man calls for his son. When no one answers he eats alone and smokes a cigarette in his bleak apartment. Abruptly, the story shifts to Hsiao talking to an urn, obviously containing his father's remains. It becomes apparent that the old man and Hsiao's father are one and the same.

Hsiao's mother is racked with grief and her irrational behavior annoys and concerns her son. She seals every source of light in the apartment, convinced her dead husband will return to a darkened room. "Don't kill it! It might be your father reincarnated!" she screams as Hsiao tries to squash an errant cockroach. Meanwhile, she continues to set the table and cook for her deceased spouse.

Selling watches on the streets of Taipei offers Hsiao some respite, especially after he meets a young woman en route to Paris. She badgers Hsiao into selling her his own personal watch and after her departure he cannot erase the memory of this beautiful girl. In a symbolic gesture and as a measure of escapism, he changes every timepiece he can find to Paris time and watches Truffaut's "The 400 Blows."

Unfortunately Shiang-Chyi's ideal of Paris does not match the glaring reality of living in a foreign city. Unable to read a restaurant menu, she eats junk food in her room and nervously listens to the loud noises from the apartment above her. A chance meeting with an old man in a cemetery (oddly enough, actor Jean-Pierre Leand of "The 400 Blows") and a friendly woman in a restaurant offer her a brief break from her solitude.

The film's final scenes show each character trying to bridge their loneliness with a sexual encounter-Hsiao, with a prostitute; his mother, masturbating with the grim-faced photo of her husband looking on; and Shiang-Chyi, with a lesbian. Yet, no one in this unlikely trio seems content and the movie's startling closing shots only verify that conclusion.

Tell Me More About It: "What Time Is It There?" marks the fifth feature for writer/director Tsai Ming-Liang, an acclaimed Taipei auteur whose films have received acclaim at New York's Film Society as well as the Cannes Film Festival.

The themes of urban alienation, obsession and repressed sexual desire pervade his films, presented in an unconventional style with a sly wit and unblinking social commentary.

Although Tsai's motives are laudatory, his films are a challenge to digest. Lengthy static shots, minimal dialogue, and the expressionless faces of the actors make "What Time Is It There?" a seemingly endless film. Yet it can be a rewarding experience if our quick-paced American film standards are shelved and we just let this story wash over us.

With cinematography by Benoit Homme, whose visual mastery in "The Scent of Green Papaya" made that lyrical film unforgettable, "What Time Is It There?" has a unique look that captures the film's boxed-in, isolated themes. Indeed, many shots are framed by doorways, and often a character's body is only partially seen, further emphasizing their aloneness.

The humor here is subtle and sometimes jarring. Hsiao's hysterical mother forbids him from using the toilet during the night so her dead husband's spirit will not be disturbed. Shots of Hsiao urinating into a plastic bag and a bottle are oddly amusing. A silent teen holding a clock over his naked pelvis taunts Hsiao and makes the audience squirm. Hsiao's mother talking to their fish as if it is her reincarnated husband is both hauntingly sad and laugh-out-loud funny. It is exactly this bizarre wit that saves Tsai's film from sinking into a chasm of despair.

"What Time Is It There?" offers a unique vision of three aching souls, each preoccupied with their own suffering in a setting that only reinforces the notion that they are truly alone. Depressing?…undeniably.

Lee Kang-Sheng: The River	Miao Tien: The River
Shiang-Chyi: The River	Cecilia Yip: Miles Apart
Lu Yi-Ching: The River	Tsai Ming-Liang: The River