Tsai Ming-Liang’s Days is like the equivalent of a deep inhale during a morning meditation. It is a slow awakening that, by the end of it, leaves you with an expanded sense of full body awareness and total compassion for yourself and those around you. Quietly arresting with beautifully piercing imagery, Days forgoes something that most of contemporary cinema cannot do without: words.
The story is quite simple, but its emotional impact hits in full force. A middle-aged man (Lee Kang-Sheng) suffers from body pain and finds himself living the life of a drifter in Japan. He meets another man, Non (Anong Houngheuangsy), and they both find consolation in each other for a short while before returning to their separate lives and parting ways.
I now understand why Tsai is considered one of Taiwanese cinema’s most celebrated “Second New Wave” directors. He lets the story unfold with steady precision and utmost trust in his cast and crew. This is “slow cinema,” the entire film exists without any scripted dialogue, and any conversations overheard are intentionally not subtitled in English. In the best way possible, Days feels less like a film and more like an experience akin to those YouTube ASMR walking tours through various cities.
Every scene is comprised of a one-take shot, all mostly stagnant and steady in a single location but sometimes forward-moving through crowded city streets. Our protagonist drifts through these scenes with a somberness and reservation about him, if only we could crack his apathetic outer shell and get to the root of his suffering.
The feeling of isolation even when surrounded by people evokes a special kind of sadness. It’s not so much the “un-belonging” that hurts, at least in that case you’re being physically seen and then rejected. It’s the invisibleness that is truly painful. To feel unworthy of even being acknowledged can feel like being thrown off of a ship with a boulder tied to your ankle. It can take you to a dark place, fast. But Days doesn’t lean into the obvious tropes of depression, which could feel too forced in a film like this. Rather, emphasis is placed on the subtle satisfaction that comes from the protagonist’s minimalist lifestyle and simple daily routines.
Days offers a nice change of pace to the typical movie-going experience and comes with the highest recommendation from me.
Distributed by Grasshopper Film. Now playing in select theaters.
