Rebels of the Neon God

Hsiao-kang is a withdrawn young man who clashes with his parents and drops out of school without telling them. In Taipei he drifts through streets, arcades and other late-night spaces, and one day he notices Ah-tze, a small-time criminal who rides through the city with his friend Ah-ping. Hsiao-kang begins following him, drawn by a mix of curiosity, admiration and envy, and his attention extends to Ah-kuei, the young woman Ah-tze is pursuing. The film follows these restless characters as their paths cross amid minor crimes, isolation and the pull of the city.

Rebels of the Neon God is the first feature directed by Tsai Ming-liang, who also wrote the screenplay, placing it at the start of a filmography that would go on to number thirteen features, with Vive L'Amour following the same year. It was produced by Feng-Chyt Jiang and Hsu Li-kong for the Central Motion Picture Corporation, and stars Lee Kang-sheng as Hsiao-kang, Chen Chao-jung as Ah-tze, Wang Yu-wen as Ah-kuei, Jen Chang-bin as Ah-ping, and Miao Tian and Lu Yi-Ching as Hsiao-kang's parents.

On IMDb the film holds a rating of 7.5 from around 6,200 votes, while on TMDB it stands at 7.3 from 161 votes, indicating a solid reputation with viewers. A critics' rating of 8.5 from 34 reviews is notably higher, suggesting that reviewers have rated it more strongly than general audiences.