The Hole
As plague and perpetual rain hollow out Taiwan, two isolated apartment dwellers discover an uncanny passage toward human connection.
Overview
In a world ravaged by disease and despair, a unique connection blossoms amidst the chaos.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- eerie
- claustrophobic
- melancholic
- late night arthouse viewing
- rainy day
What critics said
Critics broadly praise the film as hauntingly surreal and formally daring, combining quarantine realism, apocalyptic dread, and musical exuberance with unusual emotional force.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The neighbors’ tentative connection unfolds while relentless rain and a cockroach-borne disease devastate Taiwan.
The drab apartment routine is interrupted by elaborate musical numbers that express emotion through spectacle.
The plumber’s hole between the apartments becomes the literal channel through which the upstairs man and downstairs woman relate.
Plumbing, leaks, neighboring, and quarantine life are reframed through dreamlike musical interludes.
Films like The Hole, and why
Dancer in the Dark
shared surreal musical form, urban isolation, and stylized emotional connection amid social crisis
Vive L'Amour
shared austere modernist storytelling, alienated characters, and charged apartment-like urban spaces
The Lobster
shared apocalyptic atmosphere, absurdist humor, and unexpected tenderness between marginalized people
Movie Details
- Director
- Tsai Ming-liang
- Release Date
- 1998-09-14
- Runtime
- 95 min
- Rating
- 7.0 / 10 (100)
Cast
- Yang Kuei-mei
- Lee Kang-sheng
- Miao Tian
- Hui-Chin Lin
- Lin Kun-huei
- Tong Hsiang-Chu
- Chen Shiang-Chyi
- Daphne Han
- Bo-Chin Wei
- Jacques Picoux
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- OVID, Metrograph
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Hole about?
- As plague and perpetual rain hollow out Taiwan, two isolated apartment dwellers discover an uncanny passage toward human connection.
- What is The Hole like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Hole as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Hole violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Hole as mild.
- What did critics think of The Hole?
- Critics broadly praise the film as hauntingly surreal and formally daring, combining quarantine realism, apocalyptic dread, and musical exuberance with unusual emotional force.
- Which films are like The Hole?
- Films with a similar feel include Dancer in the Dark, Vive L'Amour, and The Lobster.
- How long is The Hole?
- The Hole runs 95 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Hole?
- In United States, The Hole streams on OVID, Metrograph.
