Viennale-15-Trailer: Xiao Kang

Once you’ve seen the first images of Tsai Ming-liang’s XIAO KANG, you’ll know that cinema has lost none of its mysteriousness. Accompanied by the whirring sound of a narrow-gauge film projector, the screen is bathed in yellow light. A man emerges from the undergrowth of a forest, cutting his way through meterhigh bamboo. He won’t meet anyone; he’ll remain alone for the next two minutes. We know neither his destination nor his intention. Apart from the noise of the projector, we hear no sound, no dialog, no word. Nevertheless, the sepia-colored, 8mm images turn into a short journey as they tell of a beginning and an arrival, of movement and pause. For 25 years now, Lee Kang-sheng has appeared in Tsai Ming-liang’s films; a film without him would be impossible, Tsai explains. at the end of XIAO KANG, which the director has shot as a trailer for the Viennale, Lee has come to rest. He seems exhausted; beads of sweat run down his face. But the great journey isn’t over yet.

With CAROL and ANOMALISA 

The trailer will be shown surprisingly and frequently during the festival.