o hand in hand

tsai ming-liang loves to film people in their underwear. in fact, if there could be a central image surrounding his body of work, it would undoubtedly be that of lee kang sheng in his tightie-whities. underwear is an important obstacle in a tsai film. it stands alongside his narratives, literally marking the halfway point between public and private behavior. it mirrors the strange allure of his characters' struggles. underwear prolongs tsai's romanticism and activates his ennui. lee, in his boxer briefs, is denied the raw appeal of nudity. he can't strictly be viewed as an object of desire. he's got tightie-whites on. he looks ridiculous. his briefs become the flesh of personal vulnerability, reducing him to something more legitimately naked.