The Wayward Cloud

A strange, wildly uninhibited, and provocative yet tender film by one of Taiwan’s most prominent directors.

A drought in Taiwan has led to a severe water shortage and an unprecedented abundance of watermelons. Water becomes a luxury, while watermelons and their juice turn into a widely available substitute — and even a sexual fetish. The young woman Shiang-chyi secretly steals water and lives in the same building as Hsiao-kang, a performer in underground porn films, often involving the ever-present watermelons. For a long time, they exist side by side in their own arid, parallel lives — until they finally meet.