‘The Puppetmaster’, directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien in 1993, is a Taiwanese biopic focusing on the life of Li Tian-lu, a celebrated puppeteer, from his birth in 1909 to the end of the Japanese occupation of the island in 1945. The film combines interviews with the real Tian-lu, in his eighties, whilst flashing back to events from his life. Hsiao-hsien’s style is simple and reminiscent of Yasujirō Ozu: all static shots, long scenes and restrained directorial flourishes. The composition of the scenes, off-centre with the characters forming a kind of proscenium arch to the action, gives the film a theatrical feel that fits perfectly with the idea of puppetry, and balances the scenes of puppet shows throughout the film. Counteracting this theatricality is a lush approach to the natural world and a rich cinematography. The way Hsiao-hsien depicts the landscape of occupied Taiwan is reminiscent of Tarkovsky, all smoke and mist and gently moving trees. The pace of the film, the meditative way the film builds the characters and the subtext for the occupation, gives the film a mythic quality. This means that when the action cuts to the interview with the real Tian-lu, there is a feeling of dislocation, which jars, but also adds a layer of nostalgic fantasy to the flashbacks. The result is a movie that feels like an old man dreaming.

Would I recommend it? It’s a sprawling but beautiful movie. Watch in a double bill with ‘Tokyo Story’ for a sense of Hsiao-hsien’s influences.