Dust in the Wind

Although the combination of lengthy shots and, in his early work, a relatively static camera has given Hou Hsiao-hsien an exaggerated reputation as a minimalist, his is above all a cinema of movement. The mobile train shot that begins Dust in the Wind, one of the key films of Taiwan’s New Cinema, generates a visceral sensation of forward momentum while also looking back to the medium’s nineteenth-century origins. Hou vividly captures the confusion of young adulthood, but maintains a clear-eyed distance on the vicissitudes of ordinary lives by repeatedly returning to the landscape imagery of the opening shots. Based on the memories of screenwriter Wu Nien-jen, Dust in the Wind is both absorptive and reflective, encouraging viewers to continually refine their understanding of preceding scenes even while immersed in the unfolding present. (Richard I. Suchenski)

The 27 January session will feature a post-screening discussion with Tony Rayns.