Stray Dogs at the Museum

In his tenth feature film, ‘Stray Dogs,’ showcased at the Museum MoNTUE, Tsai Ming Liang crafts a unique piece of art. The film captures the essence of a dying forest, with the taste of damp decay lingering in the air. Moving images are intermittently obscured by the static presence of deadwood shadows. The boundaries between waking, sleeping, and the states in between blur into one. This documentary explores the mundane aspects of existence, encouraging introspection. It draws a compelling, albeit unconventional, parallel between cinema and consciousness, highlighting the interplay between film elements—light, shadow, and audience—and the components of consciousness—waking, sleep, and dreams.