
The Wayward Cloud. 2005. Taiwan. Directed by Tsai Ming-Liang. With Lee Kang-Sheng, Chen Shiang-Chyi, Lu Yi-Ching, Yang Kuei-Mei. 35mm. In Mandarin; English subtitles. 112 min.
Never one to worry about taboos and scandals, Tsai Ming-Liang created this quasi-porn musical, with no shortage of watermelon and other edibles. Hsiao Kang, now a porn actor with intimacy issues, reunites with the woman to whom he sold a watch in Tsai’s What Time Is It There? (2001), and the two form a peculiar bond. As in The Hole (1998), surreal, colorful musical numbers express unspoken yearnings and desires. Tsai’s screenplay won the Berlin International Film Festival’s Silver Bear.