One of the most iconic scenes in Asian cinema, Hou Hsiao-hsien opens Millennium Mambo (2001) with a shot that lasts two and a half unbroken minutes of Vicky (Shu Qi) walking through the Zhongshan Bridge, set to a pulsing techno score.
Told through Vicky's narration a decade later, Millennium Mambo moves through fragments of her life in the clubbing scene of Taipei at the turn of the century. The nights out and the tumultuous relationship with her boyfriend Hao Hao form pieces of a life that keeps passing her by. A new friendship in the form of Jack, a patron at her club, offers sanctuary and escape, and raises questions around what love we accept and return from those around us.
