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Stray Dogs is a 2013 Taiwanese drama film directed by Tsai Ming-liang. The film tells the story of a father and his two young children who are struggling to survive on the outskirts of Taipei. The father, played by Kang-sheng Lee, works as a laborer performing odd jobs, while the children, both portrayed by Luxia Ji and Fang-yi Sheu, spend their days wandering the city's streets and alleys in search of food.

The film opens with a shot of the father standing motionless in front of a building, holding a sign advertising real estate. He stares blankly ahead as people pass by, indifferent to his presence. This sets the tone for the film, which is characterized by a pervasive sense of loneliness and isolation.

As the story unfolds, we see the family's daily struggles. The father's work is sporadic and low-paying, and he often returns home late and exhausted. The children, meanwhile, must fend for themselves, scavenging for food and sleeping in abandoned buildings or under freeway overpasses.

Despite these challenges, the family maintains a certain resilience and tenderness towards each other. In one of the film's most poignant scenes, the father takes his young daughter on a bus ride through the city. As they pass through the neon-lit streets, the girl gazes out the window, mesmerized by the urban landscape. The father, meanwhile, rests his head on her shoulder, his eyes closed in exhaustion. It is a moment of quiet intimacy amid the chaos of the city.

Throughout the film, director Tsai Ming-liang employs long, static shots that capture the beauty and desolation of Taipei's urban landscape. Many scenes are shot in real-time, with little to no dialogue or action. This creates a sense of stillness and contemplation that invites the viewer to reflect on the film's themes.

One of these themes is the idea of displacement. The father and his children are outsiders in the city, disconnected from its rhythms and rules. They live in a state of limbo, neither fully integrated nor fully excluded from society. In one memorable scene, the father enters an upscale department store and wanders through the aisles, imagining himself as a wealthy shopper. But his reverie is short-lived, and he is quickly chased out of the store by security guards.

Another theme is that of fractured families. The father is emotionally distant from his children, and it is suggested that he may have a troubled past. The children, meanwhile, have an absent mother who is only glimpsed briefly in the film's final scene. This sense of familial rupture is reflected in the film's fragmented narrative structure, which jumps back and forth in time and presents events out of order.

Despite its bleak subject matter, Stray Dogs is a deeply affecting film that ultimately reveals moments of grace and beauty. The film is anchored by Kang-sheng Lee's powerful performance as the father, a man whose stoic exterior belies a deep reservoir of pain and tenderness. The child actors, too, are remarkable in their understated performances, conveying a sense of resilience and vulnerability that is often heart-wrenching.

In conclusion, Stray Dogs is a meditative and haunting film that explores themes of loneliness, displacement, and family dysfunction. Director Tsai Ming-liang's masterful use of long takes and static shots creates a sense of stillness and contemplation that invites the viewer to engage with the film's themes on a deeper level. While it may not be a film for everyone, those who are willing to embrace its slow pace and contemplative style will find it a rewarding and deeply affecting experience.

Stray Dogs is a 2014 drama with a runtime of 2 hours and 18 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 6.9 and a MetaScore of 84.