I Don’t Want to Sleep Alone 3 1/2 stars
Lee Kang-Sheng, Chen Shiang-Chyi, Norman Atun
Directed by Tsai Ming-Liang
It’s hard to judge the works of Malaysian director Tsai (who typically works in Taiwan) with reference to typical cinematic constructs like plot, pacing and character development. Watching a Tsai film is a lot more like staring at a painting for a really long time than hearing a story, and if your mind wanders while taking in his long, static takes, then part of the movie-going experience is appreciating where that takes you. For those who value film on a purely aesthetic level, a Tsai film is something of a gift, and his latest, I Don’t Want to Sleep Alone, is no exception.
Explaining the plot is almost beside the point, since like the rest of Tsai’s work, Sleep features virtually no dialogue and nothing you could really call exposition. There is definitely a Taiwanese man (Lee, a Tsai regular) wandering the streets of Kuala Lumpur, who is beaten up by a band of thieves and rescued by another itinerant (Atun). The rescuer seems to have an erotic or romantic obsession with his charge, who also forms a bond with a waitress (Chen). She in turn is taking care of a catatonic man (Lee again), who may or may not be her brother. I think.
The appeal here is in Tsai’s beautifully crafted images and the small moments that add up to a touching portrait of finding simple human connections in an unfeeling urban environment. It takes some careful attention and a not insignificant amount of patience, but if you can modify your expectations accordingly, Sleep is a highly rewarding experience.