Days / Afternoon – Two films by Tsai Ming-Liang – Second Run

In 2013, after finishing his tenth film, Stray Dogs, the acclaimed filmmaker Tsai Ming-liang announced he would retire from making scripted ‘drama’ films for commercial cinema distribution, but instead focus on art films for installations and such. He has largely kept his word, developing experimental work since then, most notably a collection of films that form his Walker series. These shorts and features follow the incredibly slow movement of a red-robed monk through a variety of backdrops.

Tsai’s 2020 film Days (a.k.a. Rìzi) somehow slipped the net though, as it has been shown in cinemas, but it wasn’t his intention to ‘sell’ the film as such, it just sort of ‘happened’.

Fans of the director have reason to celebrate then, as it’s allowed the film to make its way to Blu-ray, courtesy of Second Run. The company has also been generous enough to package Days with another post-’retirement’ film, Afternoon (a.k.a. Na ri xia wu), and other related goodies.

After having been impressed with Second Run’s release of Goodbye, Dragon Inn, I got hold of a copy of this new set and my thoughts on the films follow.

Days (a.k.a. Rìzi)

Director: Tsai Ming-liang
Screenplay: Tsai Ming-liang
Starring: Lee Kang-sheng, Anong Houngheuangsy
Running Time: 126 min
Year: 2020
Country: Taiwan, France
BBFC Certificate: 15

Days is a minimalist drama that follows the lives of two solitary men in differing environments.

Kang (Lee Kang-sheng), a middle-aged man, lives alone in a large house with a goldfish pond. He suffers from chronic pain and seeks various treatments, including electroacupuncture and massage. Non (Anong Houngheuangsy), a younger man, is a Laotian immigrant working in Bangkok. His days consist of simple routines, such as preparing traditional dishes and working on a market stall.

The film focuses on the mundane details of their lives, capturing the quiet moments and repetitive actions that often go unnoticed. Their paths cross when Kang hires Non for a massage. Their interactions are short-lived, but a connection is formed.

Lee Kang-sheng has a unique relationship with Tsai Ming-liang. They first worked together on a teleplay called Boys, made in 1991, and once Tsai began making feature films the year following this, he had Lee star in every single one. Also, despite Tsai being gay and Lee being straight, their platonic relationship is deep enough that they have lived together for a number of years.

Inspiration for Days came when Lee was taken ill following a minor stroke. Tsai realised his ‘muse’ was growing old. This troubled the director and he felt he wanted to express this on film, so brought a camera to document some medical treatment Lee received. Later, he met the Anong too and was drawn to some of what he posted of his life on social media, particularly his cooking of traditional food in his dorm. Again, Tsai filmed this and, after viewing the material together, he realised he could make a film out of it. Originally, he saw this as just a short film but the idea developed and the material grew to a feature-length form.

Despite the lack of a script or the initial lack of direction for the performances, the footage of Lee and Anong hinted at a shared loneliness and a simple, subtle story blossomed. This natural progression is highly effective in this quiet, intimate film.

Tsai’s cinema, particularly in his later years, embraces the ‘slow cinema’ movement wholeheartedly and here it’s taken to quite an extreme. There’s not a lot going on, on the surface, as we watch the two men go about their lonely, mundane lives. These activities are largely presented in long takes with no camera movement. As such, the film won’t appeal to those without a taste for this ultra-minimalist approach.

However, I feel Tsai has a knack for capturing things that seem dull on the surface but are quietly engaging once you pay attention to them. For instance, I could watch Anong cooking for an hour alone.

Tsai says he likes to take apart cinema and remove elements that aren’t needed. This makes for meditative viewing. His films don’t necessarily have to say a lot, it’s about shutting out the superfluous junk and focusing on the moment. Yes, it will test your patience, but sometimes you need to slow down. Stop, even, to reflect on existence.

Through watching Kang’s day-to-day activities, you get a sense of the pain he is experiencing. His physical pain is clear, through his struggles with movement. This is further emphasised by his electroacupuncture treatment which, to this Western viewer at least, looks rather brutal and not entirely safe or hygienic (the needles are heated with burning blocks that occasionally drop hot ash that is not always successfully caught by small metal trays). There seems to be an emotional pain too though, shown subtly in Kang’s face as he stares blankly into the distance.

A central sequence, following Kang after his treatment, shocks the viewer as suddenly the once-static camera goes mobile and handheld, tracking Kang through the bustling streets. This chaos, with a bewildered Kang in its centre, only enhances the character’s isolation.

Elsewhere, as mentioned, the camera is static and the lighting is kept natural. This doesn’t mean the film looks bland or unattractive though. Tsai’s composition gives these tableaux an understated beauty.

The quiet, still nature of the images also allow you to pay more attention to the background sound. Presumably recorded as field recordings during production, the audio is intoxicating and the lack of dialogue means each tiny detail makes you take notice. Kang’s quiet, near-purring reactions to the massage he receives, for instance, say a lot about the act’s deep, restorative qualities.

So, whilst, on paper, Days sounds like an exercise in tedium, I found it strangely captivating. I may have eyed up the fast-forward button in places but I was nonetheless drawn into the lives of these lonely souls in a contemplative fashion that touched me by the film’s conclusion.

Afternoon (a.k.a. Na ri xia wu)

Director: Tsai Ming-liang
Screenplay: Tsai Ming-liang
Starring: Lee Kang-sheng, Tsai Ming-liang
Running Time: 136 min
Year: 2015
Country: Taiwan

Afternoon is quite an unusual film that some might see as a ‘special feature’ rather than its own cinematic entity. It’s basically a two-and-a-quarter-hour conversation between Tsai and Lee, shot from one angle, with no cuts other than when the camera’s memory card runs out a couple of times and is swiftly replaced.

The film came about when a publisher, who had agreed to release a book by Tsai, suggested he make it richer by having a deeper conversation with Lee. So, the director decided to set this up with a camera to capture what was discussed and to force the pair to do what was asked. After watching back the material, Tsai thought it might make an interesting film.

Whilst Tsai and Lee have a very close relationship and even live together, the director describes how they rarely speak deeply about anything, particularly with Lee being a man of few words. So the film could be seen as a form of therapy, allowing the pair to open up about their feelings. It must be said, that Tsai does much more of the talking here, though Lee does begin to contribute more towards the end.

The location of the interview is the upper floor of some ruins owned by Tsai. With no windows, the setting reflects the open nature of the conversation and consciously ageing figures at the centre.

Whilst, again, the simplicity of presentation and length make the film quite challenging to sit through, I was deeply drawn to the conversation. I was surprised to find that Tsai, whose films keep dialogue to a bare minimum (it must be noted that I’ve not yet watched any of his early work), is extremely talkative himself. As mentioned, he dominates the conversation and talks much about his family and the existential crises that often influence his work. He also discusses his relationship with Lee and why his films tend to be drawn from the man and his life.

Afternoon is a film that will largely only appeal to those familiar with Tsai’s work though. If you are a newcomer, I would certainly recommend watching at least Days first and reading about the pair before taking the deep dive into their relationship that this film represents.

Its straightforward nature prevents me from rating the film too highly, but Afternoon is an excellent companion piece to Days, so I’m more than glad to have it included in this set.

Days (Rìzi) / Afternoon (Na ri xia wu) – Two films by Tsai Ming-Liang is out on 18th November as a region-free Blu-ray Special Edition, released by Second Run. Both being modern, digitally shot films, they translate to Blu-ray nicely. I noticed some minor macroblocking on the clouds in an early shot in Days but, otherwise, it’s a crisp image with natural colours. I’ve used screengrabs throughout this review to give you an idea of how it looks, though these have been compressed. I had no problems with the audio.

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