''The Skywalk is Gone'' (Mandarin name: ''Tianqiao bu jian le'') is a 2002 Taiwanese

short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

directed by

Tsai Ming-liang Tsai Ming-liang (; born 27 October 1957) is a Malaysian-Taiwanese filmmaker. Tsai has written and directed 11 feature films, many short films, and television films. He is one of the most celebrated "Second New Wave" film directors of Taiwanese ...

and starring Chen Shiang-chyi and

Lee Kang-sheng Lee Kang-sheng () (born 21 October 1968) is a Taiwanese actor, film director and screenwriter. He has appeared in all of Tsai Ming-liang's feature films. Lee's directorial efforts include ''The Missing'' in 2003 and '' Help Me Eros'' in 2007. ...

Plot

Shiang-chyi has returned to

Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the ...

from her trip to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

. She goes to the

skywalk A skyway, skybridge, skywalk, or sky walkway is an elevated type of pedway connecting two or more buildings in an urban area, or connecting elevated points within mountainous recreational zones. Urban skyways very often take the form of enclos ...

where she first met Hsiao-kang, the salesman who sold her a watch, but some construction has taken place and the skywalk is gone. She stares at a large video screen for a while and then wanders around aimlessly. After crossing a street illegally, she is stopped by a police officer, who checks her ID card. Shiang-chyi then stops at a coffee shop for a short while. She realizes that her card is missing, so she goes back to the officer to ask if he still has it. He replies that he does not. Meanwhile, Hsiao-kang is smoking in a public toilet stall. After he finishes, he washes his hands and leaves the restroom. He then walks up some stairs on the underpass. Shiang-chyi is walking down the same flight of stairs, and they pass each other. Hsiao-kang pauses at the top of the staircase to look back down at her, but Shiang-chyi does not notice him. Hsiao-kang then goes to audition for a new job as a pornographic actor. The

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

asks him a few questions and then tells him to take off his clothes. Hsiao-kang hesitates but eventually complies. He then puts on a doctor's uniform and steps out onto the balcony to start filming. The short ends with music playing over a scene of clouds moving in real-time.

Cast

* Chen Shiang-chyi *

Lu Yi-ching Lu Yi-ching (born 23 October 1958) is a Taiwanese actress. She has appeared in several films directed by Tsai Ming-liang, such as '' What Time Is It There?'' and ''The Wayward Cloud'', and films by Cheng Wen-tang, including '' Blue Cha Cha''. ...

Background

Actors Chen Shiang-chyi and Lee Kang-sheng both reprised their roles from Tsai Ming-liang's previous film ''

What Time Is It There? ''What Time Is It There?'' is a 2001 Taiwanese film directed by Tsai Ming-liang. It stars Lee Kang-sheng, Chen Shiang-chyi, and Lu Yi-ching. Plot Hsiao-kang is a street vendor in Taipei who sells watches out of a briefcase. His father dies. Soo ...

'' Their characters would also appear in Tsai's next film, ''

The Wayward Cloud ''The Wayward Cloud'' is a 2005 Taiwanese film directed by Tsai Ming-liang and starring Lee Kang-sheng and Chen Shiang-chyi. Plot There is a water shortage in Taiwan, and watermelons are abundant. Television programs teach various water-saving ...

''.Braester, Yomi.
Painting the City Red: Chinese Cinema and the Urban Contract
' (Duke University Press, 2010), pp. 187-189. One of the principal locations of ''What Time Is It There?'' was the skywalk in front of the New Railway Station. The skywalk was torn down after shooting the film, and this short is based on that fact. Director Tsai Ming-liang later joked that "It seems that many places that I shot for my films have vanished. This is kind of worrying!"Yu Sen-lun
"Tsai Ming-liang continues his search for a vanishing Taipei"
''taipeitimes.com'', April 25, 2003. Retrieved 2010-12-17. A major theme of this film is the

urbanization Urbanization (or urbanisation) refers to the population shift from rural to urban areas, the corresponding decrease in the proportion of people living in rural areas, and the ways in which societies adapt to this change. It is predominantly t ...

of Taipei. The song playing at the end of it is called "Nanping Bell".Hu, Brian
"Goodbye City, Goodbye Cinema: Nostalgia in Tsai Ming-liang's ''The Skywalk is Gone''"
''sensesofcinema.com''. Retrieved 2010-12-17.

Release and reception

''The Skywalk Is Gone'' was the first short film to ever get a theatrical commercial run in Taiwan. However, it was shown in only one theater. It was included on the DVD for the film '' Goodbye, Dragon Inn''.Willmott, Don
"''Goodbye, Dragon Inn''"
''filmcritic.com'', September 21, 2004. Retrieved 2010-12-17. The short was generally well received by critics. It won the Grand Prize at the 2003 Vila do Conde International Short Film Festival. According to the ''

Taipei Times The ''Taipei Times'' is the only printed daily English-language newspaper in Taiwan, and the third established there. Online competitors include the state-owned '' Focus Taiwan'' and '' Taiwan News''; '' The China Post'' was formerly a compet ...

'': "Its self-referential natures makes ''Skywalk'' somewhat difficult to understand, but Tsai maintains high production values and the short film is filled with precise shots, beautiful photography and good performances."

References

External links

*
In conversation with Director Tsai Ming-Liang: No Form and The Skywalk is Gone
{{DEFAULTSORT:Skywalk is Gone, The 2002 films Films directed by Tsai Ming-liang 2000s Mandarin-language films 2002 short films Taiwanese short films Films with screenplays by Tsai Ming-liang