The Hole (1999): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1999, The Hole is a drama, romance and science fiction film directed by Tsai Ming-liang, running about 95 minutes. “A search for intimacy in a world of disaster.” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. In the final days of the year 1999, almost everyone in Taiwan has died from a strange plague that ravished the island. Supposedly spread by cockroaches, the disease sends its victims into a psychosis where they act like the insects and eventually die. The two protagonists live In a crumbling apartment building right above and below each other. The woman is on the lower floor, and the pipes above her apartment are leaking fiercely, threatening to destroy her food supply, not to mention her sanity. She calls a plumber to go check it out, and he accidentally pokes a hole through the floor of the man's apartment. The two have never met before, and they come into contact through the hole.

Who’s in it. The Hole stars Yang Kuei-Mei as The Woman Downstairs, Lee Kang-sheng as The Man Upstairs, Miao Tien as The Customer at Market and Hui-Chin Lin as Neighbor, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 6.7/10, The Hole has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. In US you can stream it on OVID. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch The Hole page.

If you liked it. Fans of The Hole tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.