★★★☆☆
Rebels of the Neon God (1992) by Tsai Ming Liang is a slick, cold portrait of youths in Taipei. Neon lights blurred by rain over sad teens scraping up moments of happiness just to get by. Is this to be romanticized, I thought. But the better question is, “Does it justify to my reality in some regard?” Yes. With is naturalistic guerilla film work and light dialogue, it feels like an honest depiction that I want to believe to be true. Perhaps because the ending isn’t such a short term happiness, but an openhanded yearning for one.
shotdownartist 