Review:

The Taiwanese cinema is one of the most interesting in the world. It seems to be as lithe and graceful as Hong Kong filmmaking, without the commercial constraints, and as serious as Chinese cinema, without suffering so much from the dead weight of an often mythological past.

Vive l'amour sets its sights on two men, one woman and one apartment existing in Taipei, Taiwan. The apartment sits empty but minimally furnished as a property for sale by the woman's (May Lin/ Kuei-Mei Yang) real estate company. One young man, (Hsiao- kang/Kang-sheng Lee), in the film's first shot, steals an apartment key left in the lock and proceeds to move in. The second, (Ah-jung/ Chao-jung Chen) steals a key from the woman after a night of wordless sex (in the room she utilizes for such activities) and eventually moves in as well (unbeknownst, at first, to the other male).

Hsiao-kang spends his time smoking, peddling crematorium urns, healing his slashed wrist, bathing, and dressing up. Ah-jung spends his time smoking, reading porn, peddling clothing and drinking Budweisers. May Lin spends her time smoking, peddling empty homes and apartments and wandering the streets. They all spend their time passing time.

In crowded Taipei, three anonymous and isolated souls--a boyish crematorium-space salesman coming to terms with his homosexuality, a brittle realtor, and her one-night stand, a street peddler--cross paths frequently and often unwittingly in the same luxury show apartment.

In overcrowded Taipei, three lonely people share an apartment but barely interact: a beautiful real estate agent who has no personal life, the street vendor she picks up for casual sex one night and a timid columbarium salesman who suffers the conflicts of hidden sexuality.

The title of Tsai Ming-liang's film implies a celebration of love. In a way, Vive l'Amour does do just that, but in no way by conventional means.

Hsiao-Kang (Lee Kang-sheng), a homeless crematorium urn salesman, steals keys to a newly vacated Taipei apartment. After a suicide attempt, he takes up residence there as Mei-Mei (Yang Kuei-mei), a real estate agent trying to sell the apartment, picks up Ah-jung (Chen Cho-jung), young street vendor, and brings him there for a roll in the sack. Ah-jung in turns steals Mei-Mei's keys and he and Hsiao-Kang unknowingly share the apartment. As Ah-jung persues Mei-Mei, Hsiao-Kang begins to realize he is falling for Ah-jung.

Actor/Actress Info: