The Terrorizers (Taiwan, 1986)

A metaphysical mystery about the lives of three couples in Taipei that continually intersect over a span of several weeks.

The director of The Terrorizers, Edward Yang, only made a handful of movies, including my favorite film of all time: Yi Yi (2000), but still managed to be recognized as one of the most important film-makers ever. He sadly passed away in 2007, but his work will always be remembered. 

The Terrorizers shows Yang's skill at bringing out the best in his actors, the tears and the subtle gestures feels so real that it's scary. He follows a small group of people that sooner or later will cross each others paths, and when they do, nothing will ever be the same again. A relationship is portrayed almost as a house of cards that's about to fall, there's no way to turns things around once things begin to crumble. 

Yang's use of static shots are also magnificent, making it almost feel like a Yasujiro Ozu (Tokyo Story) film. Not bad at all. So, as you can tell I'm more than satisfied with The Terrorizers. It didn't knock down Yi Yi from the number one spot, but for me, it once again cemented Edward Yang as one of the sharpest film-makers to have lived. Rest in peace.

Genre: Drama