Millennium Mambo

Millennium Mambo
Chinese千禧曼波
Literal meaningMambo at the Year of the Turn of the Millennium
Hanyu Pinyinqiānxī mànbō
Directed byHou Hsiao-hsien
Written byChu T’ien-wen
Produced by
Starring
Narrated byShu Qi
CinematographyMark Lee Ping Bin
Edited byLiao Ching-sung
Music by
Distributed byPalm Pictures (U.S.)
Release dates
  • 19 May 2001 (2001-05-19) (Cannes)
  • 17 November 2001 (2001-11-17) (Taiwan)
Running time
119 minutes
CountryTaiwan
LanguageMandarin

Millennium Mambo (Chinese: 千禧曼波) is a 2001 Taiwanese romantic drama film directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien. The film was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival, where Tu Duu-chih won Technical Grand Prize.[1]

Plot

The main character, Vicky (Shu Qi), serves as the principal narrator of this film, revealing to the audience in 2011 details of her life from a decade earlier. She describes her youth and the changes her life undergoes at the beginning of the new millennium. She works as a hostess in a trendy bar. Vicky is torn between two men, Hao-Hao and Jack, and her parallel love affairs showcase her inner life and her attitude towards her fleeting youth.

Cast

Actor Role
Shu QiVicky
Jack KaoJack
Duan Chun-haoHao-Hao
Chen Yi-HsuanXuan
Jun TakeuchiJun
Doze NiuDoze
Jenny Tseng Yan Lei
Pauline Chan
Huang Xiao Chu

According to Maggie Cheung, speaking at a press conference for Wong Kar Wai’s In the Mood for Love, she and Tony Leung Chiu-wai were initially tapped to play the main roles in Millennium Mambo.[2]

Reception

Upon release the film received favourable reviews from critics, on Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 84% based on 34 critics, with an average rating of 7.4/10.[3] On Metacritic the film has a score of 72% based on 12 critics indicating generally favourable reviews.[4]

Stephen Short of Time Asia perceived the film's depth as shallow, calling the script "feckless" for not developing the relationship between Hao-Hao and Vicky further.[5]

Awards and nominations

References

  1. 1 2 "MILLENNIUM MAMBO - Festival de Cannes". Festival de Cannes. Archived from the original on 7 April 2024. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  2. ↑ "In The Mood For Love Press Conference at the TIFF". YouTube. Films Extras. 11 October 2018. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  3. ↑ "Millennium Mambo | Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. 19 May 2001. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  4. ↑ "Millennium Mambo". www.metacritic.com. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  5. ↑ Short, Stephen (19 November 2001). "Out of Step". Time Asia. Vol. 158, no. 20. Archived from the original on 14 December 2001. Retrieved 17 October 2025.


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