Face (2009 film)


Face is a 2009 Taiwanese-French film written and directed by Tsai Ming-liang.

Plot

Hsiao-Kang, a Taiwanese filmmaker, travels to France to shoot a film in the Louvre. As he is not fluent in French, the director encounters some difficulties. Then, he learns that his mother has died.

Cast

Face was written and directed by Tsai Ming-liang. It is set in the Louvre, as the museum had invited Tsai to make a film there. The Louvre contributed 775,000 euros, which was around 20 percent of the entire budget. The film is also inspired by director François Truffaut, and the cast includes several actors who worked with Truffaut.
Face was described as a "meditation on the cinematic process." Like Tsai's other films, Face is about people who are incredibly alienated.

Reception

Face has a 60% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It was nominated for the Golden Palm at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. According to Eric Kohn of Indiewire, the film's story is "a bit difficult to follow". He added that "on a visual level, however, it's undoubtedly the prettiest movie in the festival's main competition."