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Agony and loneliness

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Lee Kang-sheng has been the favourite face of Taiwanese art house master Tsai Ming-liang for the past 14 years. Finally, he sits in the director's seat. His debut feature The Missing is a heart-warming tale of Taipei's loneliness.

The film has two parts - an old lady searching for her lost grandson and a rebellious teenager looking for his grandfather who has Alzheimer's.

The story sounds simple, but the message behind it is heavy. As Lee has suggested, society has pushed people to such an extent that making a living is the most important thing. Young children and the elderly suffer from the lack of care and communication with the middle-aged generation, who are the children's parents and old people's sons and daughters.

It's not difficult to see that the film, which won Lee the New Currents Award at last year's Pusan International Film Festival and Tiger Award at the Rotterdam International Film Festival earlier this year, carries some of Tsai's influence. But Lee still manages to create his own style in this deep and emotional piece. The Missing illustrates the agony of living in a modern Asian city.

The Missing will be shown at the Hong Kong International Film Festival on April 7, 13 and 20. Call 2734 9009 or visit www.hkiff.org.hk for details. Full-time students pay half price.

VERDICT: GO TO THE MOVIES

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