
Face. 2009. Taiwan/France. Directed by Tsai Ming-Liang. With Lee Kang-Sheng, Lu Yi-Ching, Yang Kuei-Mei, Chen Shiang-Chyi, Laetitia Casta, Jean-Pierre Léaud, Fanny Ardant, Jeanne Moreau, Nathalie Baye, Mathieu Amalric, Norman Atun. 35mm. In French, Mandarin; English and Chinese subtitles. 138 min.
Tsai Ming-Liang brings his regular cast together with legendary French actors, including Jean-Pierre Léaud and Fanny Ardant, for this film commissioned by the Louvre and shot largely on the museum’s premises. A Taiwanese film director, played by Lee Kang-Sheng, mourns the passing of his mother while on a film set in Paris. He relies on silent body gestures to communicate with his French actors, who all seem to have a mind of their own. With the world-renowned art collection as its backdrop, Face is a gorgeously shot and composed work filled with dreamy sequences that resemble performance art installations. This engagement is a presentation of the newly acquired 35mm print in MoMA's Film Collection.