Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere

This lecture examines the representation of the woman warrior figure in a groundbreaking hyper-real martial arts film from Hou Hsiao-hsien, an art-house director from Taiwan better known for his portrayal of 20th century historical trauma. With the 2015 film The Assassin, he turns his attention to examine individual trauma. What personal cost do you pay when your gender and skills have been turned into an instrument in a game of political intrigue? How does one escape “the system”? Attention will also be paid to Hou’s unique visual style and action choreography.

Kevin Tsai (PhD Princeton) is Assistant Professor of Chinese in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Literature at the University of South Alabama.

Please email Stephan Kory (skory@ufl.edu) for the Zoom link.