An absorbing, affectionate addition to the sub-genre of elegies for cinemas that are closing down or are freighted with a director's fond memories (e.g. Cinema Paradiso, The Last Picture Show etc).
The colour palate and the lingering takes are trademark Ming-Liang Tsai, though it is not quite in the same class as his other great films.
The emphasis is on melancholic, deftly humorous observation rather than full narrative, but there are still several memorable set-piece scenes.
Totally incomprehensible and required great willpower to see it through to the end. I would need a lens to find a glimmer of humour and it could only be suitable for world cinema festival buffs...
We stuck with this for 20 minutes, then went outside to watch the grass grow which was much more entertaining. Why anybody would make such a useless film is a mystery. In 20 minutes there was zero dialogue and the little movement was slow and pointless. Avoid.