Hou Hsiao-hsien Explains Why He Left the Commercial Film Industry2 min read

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“I’ve already created what I feel is the only way I can make movies.”

Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-hsien’s movies are rich with visual information and ideas in equal measures. “The Assassin,” the 68-year-old filmmaker’s first movie since 2008’s “Flight of the Red Balloon,” is no exception: The pictorial narrative borrows from the wuxia genre of martial art films while transforming that aesthetic into his own unique take. The story, as it were, takes place in the 9th century during the Tang Dynasty, where the eponymous killer (Shu Qi) struggles with an assignment to kill various government figures with whom she maintains a mysterious connection.

While those circumstances lead to a variety of physical showdowns, much of “The Assassin” unfolds through a series of Hou’s delicate long takes, each of which showcases complex color palettes and contributes to an immersive atmosphere. At the Cannes Film Festival where “The Assassin” premiered, audiences were left in awe of Hou’s mesmerizing vision – but it wasn’t the first time. In town for the New York Film Festival screenings of his movie, Hou sat down with Indiewire – aided by a translator – to explain his decision more than 30 years ago to leave conventional filmmaking behind, and where he sees the Taiwanese film industry heading today. “The Assassin” opens in limited release this Friday.

What has been your relationship to the wuxia genre over the years?

In sixth grade, I would read a lot of comic book collections with my big brother, and it was always a set of stories. And then once I started reading more, it was the short stories of wuxia genre. But in terms of film, my first visual experiences were mostly through samurai types of films of Japanese influence because that’s what was showing at the theaters near me.

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