Director’s statement

Last year, I made a VR film.
Since it was VR, there was no composition in the traditional sense and no close-ups as well.
After I made the film, I had a sudden desire to film close-up shots.
I decided to make a film made up of only close-ups.
Hsiao-kang will be in it, of course, together with a few others.
So I went out to the streets in search of the faces I wanted.
In two months, I found more than ten of them.
One after another, I lit them with extra attention, as if they were cinematic compositions.

Not long after, I met Ryuichi Sakamoto by chance at the beach in Venice.
After I pieced together those big close-ups that I had filmed,
I wrote him a letter and asked if he’d have a look at it. He agreed.
One month later, he sent me some audio files. I couldn’t be sure what exactly I heard.
Sakamoto told me politely that I could use it in any way I wanted. Or I could simply ignore it.
I was thrilled by it. It felt like an adventure.
After more than twenty years, I finally made a film with a musical score.