Within only two shots, we are graphically presented the gender divisions of the nuclear family. She takes away the book he reads, and they eat together, silently. Scenes of eating acquire ritual significance in the films of Hou Hsiao-hsien. However, the offering at this meal departs from the standard fare. The Lin family table seats men only, but here in the nuclear family individual interaction is a value.
Categories shift, though no verbal communication is possible.
Silent communion is better than the distractions of the page. Hinomi and Wen-ching walk into another geometric space. Like the shots of the rooftops and the wall of windows, this view of the hospital entrance also emphasizes the bold graphic shapes marking the composition. The entrance is a graceful, white archway that gleams in the sunlight. In the background outside, a set of stairs stand at an angle, playing off the semicircle of the entranceway.