The Skywalk Is Gone 2002

Shiang-chyi, Chen Shiang-Chyi, has returned to Taipei from a trip to Paris. She heads to the skywalk where she first met a man, Lee Kang-sheng, the salesman who sold her a watch, but the once-familiar path has vanished behind construction, leaving only emptiness where the skywalk used to be. She stares at a large video screen for a long moment, letting the flicker wash over her before she wanders the city with a soft sense of aimlessness. After crossing a street illegally, she is stopped by a police officer who checks her ID. She then sits in a coffee shop for a short while, only to realize that her card is missing, prompting her to return to the officer to ask if he still has it; he confirms that he does not.

Meanwhile, Lee Kang-sheng appears in a public toilet stall, smoking. When he finishes, he washes his hands and ascends a flight of stairs in the underpass. Shiang-chyi happens to descend the same stairs, and the two pass each other in a brief, almost incidental moment. He lingers at the top to glance back, but Shiang-chyi does not notice him.

Hsiao-Kang then goes to audition for a new job as a pornographic actor. The director asks him a few questions and then tells him to take off his clothes. He hesitates, tension quietly building, but ultimately complies. He changes into a doctor’s uniform and steps out onto a balcony to begin filming, the scene unfolding with restrained, clinical detachment.

The short ends with music rising over a serene image of clouds moving in real time, leaving a contemplative mood as the motion of the world persists above the quiet city.