Journey to the West (Chinese: 西遊; pinyin: Xīyóu) is a 2014 French-Taiwanese film directed by Tsai Ming-liang. The title is inspired by the 16th century Chinese literary classic of the same name. It had its world premiere at the Panorama section of the 64th Berlin International Film Festival in February 2014.[1] It is an entry in Tsai's "Walker series" of films.
| Journey to the West | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Tsai Ming-liang |
| Written by | Tsai Ming-liang Wu Cheng'en |
| Based on | Journey to the West (inspiration) |
| Starring | Lee Kang-sheng Denis Lavant |
| Cinematography | Antoine Héberlé |
| Edited by | Lei Chen-ching |
| Music by | Sébastien Mauro |
Release date |
|
Running time | 56 minutes |
| Countries | France Taiwan |
Synopsis
The film content consists almost entirely of long, minimalist sequences showing a Buddhist monk in saffron robe walking very (almost imperceptibly) slowly — according to the Zen kinhin (walking meditation) practice — through public spaces in Marseilles, France, while passersby swarm around him. It begins, however, with a long, extreme closeup on the French actor Denis Lavant, who is later seen following the monk and matching his every move.
Release
Journey to the West is included among the "Extras" on the Stray Dogs Blu-ray from Cinema Guild.
