Where (2022, Tsai Ming-liang) (Patreon)

54/100

Quite enjoyed Journey to the West (and even caught up with "Walker" that same day, I see from my log), but am now starting to feel skeptical about the long-term franchise potential of a red-robed monk traveling at the sub-snail pace of two steps per minute. Actually, Where manages to be a sequel/continuation/supplement to/of/to both that film and Days; Anong Houngheuangsy's quotidian experience is less evenly weighted here (90-minute runtime's at least 80% Leeeeeee Kaaaaaaaaaang-sheeeeeeeeng), but the intersecting structure's more or less the same, with our dual protagonists crossing paths not for an erotic massage this time but as part of a massive art project—the film was originally commissioned by, and consequently shot in and around, Paris' Centre Pompidou—that's painstakingly laborious on twin levels. Loved that overhead shot, and was captivated by several of Tsai's other, ground-level compositions; Parisians, for let's call it "whatever reason," are also much more apt to get in the monk's face, with one asshole posing for a photo and another bellowing his bewilderment/concern and unwilling to take silence and continued slo-mo for an answer. Ultimately, though, only the Pompidou's highly recognizable architecture would prevent most of Where's shots from fitting snugly into Journey, and throwing in five uninterrupted minutes of Anong taking a shower or eating a sandwich doesn't forestall the slight tedium of repetition. This just isn't a concept that can sustain multiple features...or if it is, Tsai hasn't yet worked out the variations that would keep it compelling. (There are apparently other films in the series—shorts, I believe—that I haven't seen! The monk shows up briefly in "No No Sleep," not sure whether that counts.) Then again, perhaps my impatience merely reveals that there's only so much concentrated mindfulness that I can take, even as a pure spectator.