Abstract
The recent retrospectives of Edward Yang’s cinematic oeuvre in Taiwan and North America have provided long-awaited access to his most overlooked works such as Du li shi dai (1994) and Ma jiang (1996). The last two films of his to undergo restoration, while seemingly uncharacteristic of Yang’s usual style, exhibit a remarkable consistency in his experimentation with various juxtapositions of sound, image, thought, and emotion. This essay explores how these satirical works yield fierce critiques of the pervasive materialism and the absence of independent thinking. In foregrounding dark comedy and ironic distance, these films offer timely ruminations on the difficult tensions and complex dynamics between individuals and society, and between tradition and modernity.
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