This has been a great match.

The more I rewatch "On Top of the Whale", the

more I'm convinced of its artistic values in a lot of meta-levels and meta-texts.
For me, a director must be capable of create and compose in various
directions. The two films deal with the relation between people and images. In
GDI, the event/image/object

Ruíz composes a very consistent relation between image, sound and words
around language and the multiple and simultaneous layers that the latter has.
Spoken in Dutch, French, English, Spanish, and the mysterious dialect of the
last two survivals Indians (consistent in a few words), _On the Top of Whale_,
shows (and I’d say, satirizes) the continuous diminishing and standardization of
communication. As well as the political standardization (“The Nederlands
Soviet Republic Democratic Federal Burgundy”, “The Socialist United States of
Ireland”. The radio news about a country with President Arriagada and
Cardenal Arriagada), these survivals or exiles of language, gradually even lose
the one word that use for everything. Narcisso claims that he has progressively
lost his roots too. At one point, where euphemisms appear to have colonized
the whole, at the end of the film, the two Indians ask the dutch anthropologist
about their roots, now that they can communicate by talking about celebrate
European philosophers and writers. He just goes away.

Ruíz is consistent in his search of multidirectional meanings. He elaborates a

visual approach where image-sound-spoken words are perfectly independent.
Imo, he’s not aware of making a universal language (even cinematically
speaking), but all the contrary, he proposes the encounter with the
unspeakable and ineffable.

!http://i807.photobucket.com/albums/yy353/javierquintero/ruiz-2.jpg!

!http://i807.photobucket.com/albums/yy353/javierquintero/ruizdos.jpg!

!http://i807.photobucket.com/albums/yy353/javierquintero/ruiz-3.jpg!

Reflected and multilayered images are present through the whole film.
Experimentation on shadows, mirrors, traces, allows him to create different
kind of allegoric landscapes, in which apparently, these languages are tested.
Even one image, becomes various images, slightly changing little attributes.

!http://i807.photobucket.com/albums/yy353/javierquintero/ballena-
secuencia.jpg!

!http://i807.photobucket.com/albums/yy353/javierquintero/originalinn.jpg!

I think _Goodbye, Dragon Inn_ is a fine anecdote on people’s relation to

cinematic image and mythical theaters that would fit well as some episode in a
Ruíz film. Besides, I think GDI has also a hidden nostalgic intention, and
personally, I don’t trust it at all. _On the Top of the Whale_, aims further and I
think, stands the test of time. It’s a lesson on past, present and future ways of
colonization and forced exile through all kind of mirrors and images in which
languages manifest themselves.

Raúl Ruiz (On Top of the Whale) —1 vs Tsai Ming-liang (Goodbye, Dragon
Inn) —0