TIFF 09: Visage

Acclaimed Chinese director, Tsai Ming-Liang, whose last film, I Don't Want To Sleep Alone played at the TIFF in 2006, returns with a highly stylized, and visually surreal film, Visage.

The story centers around a Taiwanese director making a film of the story of Salome. at The Louvre in Paris. It soon becomes obvious that the boundaries between film and reality become somewhat blurred. Famed French actors Jean-Pierre Leaud and Fanny Ardant, star in the film within the film, along with Laetita Casta who plays Salome.

The film indulges heavily in a soaring soundtrack, stylized images, and startling scenes. "The image is extremely important to me. The image is central in my films," said Tsai at a press conference in Cannes this past May, where the film closed the festival there.

To tempt your visual tastebuds, here's the trailer to Visage: