2013 Cannes Film Festival Predictions: Tsai Ming-Liang’s Diary of a Young Boy

#17. Tsai Ming-Liang’s Diary of a Young Boy

Gist: Tsai’s first feature since 2009’s, Face, this new one is set to recount the misfortunes of a father (Lee Kang-sheng, who else?) and his two young children, who are looking for a kind of Noah’s Ark in order to survive in a society gone mad because of over-consumption. Could end up being Tsai’s wettest movie to date, which is saying something.

Prediction: It feels like Tsai is a Cannes fixture, but he’s actually just as much a regular at Venice as he is on the Croisette; only one of his features in the last dozen years has made the trip to France. Alas, this new film seems to be ready, and lately Tsai is clearly in Cannes’ favor – what with is last film, Face, landing in the 2009 Main Competition, and his playfully rigorous short film, Walker, co-closing out last year’s Critics Week. With several major Asian titles either not ready (Hou’s Assassin) or premiering elsewhere (Wong’s The Grandmaster), we imagine Thierry will be desperately trying to snatch this one up to compete for the Palme.