Rebellen im Neonlicht (1992)

Rebellen im Neonlicht: Directed by Ming-liang Tsai. With Chao-jung Chen, Chang-Bin Jen, Kang-sheng Lee, Yi-Ching Lu. Within the urban gloom of Taipei, four youths face alienation, loneliness, and moments of existential crisis amidst a series of minor crimes.

“The story of u0026quot;Rebels of the Neon Godu0026quot; looks quite simple. The main characters are a student with a scooter and a petty thief with a motorbike. The student is jealous of the petty thief, because he has beautiful girls on his luggage rack. Behind this simple story there are however a couple of more generic themes.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIn the first place there is the conflict between the generation of the parents (who beieve in traditional Gods) and the generation of the main characters (who believe in the Neon God). This generation conflict is not unlike that in the classical movie u0026quot;Rebel without a causeu0026quot; (1955, Nicholas Ray).u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIn the second place there is a striking difference between u0026quot;Rebels of the Neon Godu0026quot; and the films of the fifth generation of directors in China (including Zhang Yimou). In the Chinese films there is a longing for more freedom (after 1989). In u0026quot;Rebels of a Neon Godu0026quot; the main characters just donu0026#39;t know what to do with their freedom in the prospering economies of the Asian tigers.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eFinally the ugliness and coldness of the city of Taipei is notable. It resembles the coldness of Berlin in u0026quot;Christiane Fu0026quot; (1981, Uli Edel). Where the main characters in 1981 were additcted to drugs, in u0026quot;Rebels of the Neon Godu0026quot; the gambling halls and gambling addiction are more prominent. In this respect u0026quot;Rebels of the Neon Godu0026quot; is definitely modern, not to say ahead of its time.”