Rebels of the Neon God

Hsiao Kang doesn't really believe his superstitious mother's notion that he might be a reincarnation of the mischievous god Nezha, but it does give him ideas: he drops out of cram school, pockets the refund and gets hung up on the slightly older crook Ah Tze. His confused feelings for Ah Tze find suitably confused expression - he tries to get to know him by vandalising his motorbike and daubing it with the word 'AIDS'. No director since Fassbinder has such insight into the lives of lost young men in crumbling inner cities as Tsai Ming-Liang delivers in this devastating first feature. Brilliantly observed, with dialogue kept to a minimum, and as tender as a Lou Reed elegy.