Trapped by desire: Understanding the creative autonomy of Kang-sheng Lee’s directorial output. Reflections on the filmography of Ming-liang Tsai

Abstract

This article aims to bring forward the directorial output of Kang-sheng Lee by both exposing and minimizing its correlation with Ming-liang Tsai’s body of work. Lee is mainly known for acting in Tsai’s films, which led to the marginalization of his directorial oeuvre. The discourse is divided into two parts. The first one is largely biographical and delineates Lee and Tsai’s creative relationship while acknowledging the former’s path to directing and the reception of his films. The second section is devoted to a comparative analysis of both filmmakers’ bodies of work through the lens of alienation. Thus, by understanding the differences between the two Taiwanese filmmakers, Lee’s body of work can finally be analyzed on its own merits.