JOURNEY TO THE WEST / WALKER / NO NO SLEEP

ABOUT THE FILMS:

JOURNEY TO THE WEST, 2014, Dir. Tsai Ming-liang, 56 Mins, The Cinema Guild, Taiwan/France

The WALKER series is a special heaven-sent in my film-making career.

In 2011, I was mesmerized by Xiaokang’s slow walking performance on stage.

It was transcending, and I vowed then to make it into a film.

I let Xiaokang do his signature slow walk around the world, as a reflection of the long-lost preaching spirit, an homage to the monk-traveler Xuanzang in the Tang Dynasty, who embarked on a ten-thousand-mile overland pilgrimage to India.

FIDMarseille’s director Jean-Pierre Rehm saw NO FORM in my WALKER series, and extended assistance to make Xiaokang’s Marseille trip possible.

The film concept was finally realized thanks to the support from the Festival Les Instants Vidéo and Arte Television.

JOURNEY TO THE WEST is the sixth installment in the WALKER series.

It’s Xiaokang first time setting foot in the West as a monk donning red robes.

There’s a mountain resembling the looks of a monkey, conveniently called the Monkey Mountain.

It reminded me of the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West, and conjured up images of French actor Denis Lavant.

A wrinkled face carved by the knife of age.

His face drew me in like the rocky texture of Monkey Mountain.

I began to brainstorm—I want Xiaokang to walk on his face.

Roaming this ancient sun-dappled port city in the late summer, kicking up dust all over the place.

I also thought of the Diamond Sutra:

All things contrived are like

Dream, illusion, bubble, shadow,

And as dewdrop or lightning,

They should be regarded as such.

—Tsai Ming-liang

FORMAT: DCP

WALKER, 2012, Dir. Tsai Ming-liang, 26 Mins, Homegreen Films, Hong Kong/Taiwan

Ricky Hui left suddenly.

Everyone celebrates his comedies,

but few people know that he was a top class song-writer.

He wrote songs for Samuel Hui.

Cold Wind of the Heartless Night

is the one I love the most.

I found a CD of him singing.

It was brimming with the self-pity and helplessness

of the nobody he was portraying.

Last year, I came to Hong Kong.

As usual, I went to the Wing Wah Restaurant in Tsim Sha Tsui

to drink tea and eat bo lo yau.

Walking back and forth, I thought I must have taken the wrong street,

as I couldn’t find the old shop-front any more.

Dumbfounded.

I remembered that in Mong Kok,

hanging at the corner of the arcade in front of the long-queues for egg-tarts,

there had been photographs of stars and celebrities.

I had bought the youthfulness of Connie Chan and Josephine Siao,

and the beautiful girls of the Shaw Brothers Studio.

Now they are all like the egg-tarts—

gone.

Overseas Chinese born in the 60s and 70s

have some inescapable feelings towards Hong Kong.

Myself especially.

Ever since I was little, I had watched Cantonese films with my Grandfather.

So every time I come here

it’s like I’m searching for happy memories.

For just one more glance

at those beautiful tableaus

that have not yet faded away. 

— Tsai Ming-liang

FORMAT: DCP

NO NO SLEEP, 2015, Dir. Tsai Ming-liang, 34 Mins, Homegreen Films, China/Taiwan/Hong Kong 

Just an outdoor life drawing

Of Xiaokang’s night stroll in Tokyo

Winter night, cold

Public bath

Smooth, glittering like a baby is Masanobu’s body

Can’t sleep

Sauna room

Xiaokang’s sweat falls like raindrops

In the water, as well as the fog

The transient encounter

— Tsai Ming-liang

FORMAT: DCP