Three Times

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Film Description

A lyrical exploration of different expressions of love in different eras, with stories set in 1966, 1911 and 2005. Shu Qi and Chang Chen play the characters in each period. 'By contrasting love stories from three different times, we can feel how people's behaviour is circumscribed by the times and places they live in' says Hsien.

Film Information

DVD Extras

Interview with Hou Hsiao-Hsien; Trailer; Filmographies.

Technical Details

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Review by Howard Schumann on 12th September 2006

Three Times by Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-hsien is a lyrical collection of three sensuous love stories that span a period of ninety years. Marvelously performed by Shu Qi and Chang Chen, the film is both a retrospective of Hou's earlier work, a historical study of a culture, and a cogent statement about how social restraints and modern technology hampers our ability to connect with one another.

The first segment is titled "A Time for Love" and is set in 1966. Uncharacteristically, Hou uses pop songs as background to the episode involving a chance encounter between Chen, an on-leave soldier and May, a young woman who works at various pool halls in different Taiwanese towns. Chen becomes attracted to May after returning to visit a previous pool girl to whom he had written love letters while away in service. Both watch each other carefully across smoky pool tables but are forced to leave and Chen tracks May in local pool halls across Taiwan.

Set in 1911, act two, "A Time for Freedom", takes place in a concubine reminiscent of Hou's beautiful but claustrophobic Flowers of Shanghai. This 35-minute segment contains no dialogue, simply intertitles as in silent films and a tinkling piano in the background. The two lovers from the first segment are now reprieved as master and concubine. The master is a political activist who writes articles promoting independence and provides financial help to a concubine pupil to allow her to achieve the status of companion.

The final chapter brings us to the modern world of freeways, cellphones, and text messaging. Named "A Time for Youth", the title of this segment is steeped in irony. No longer a subtext, the lack of communication fostered by modern technology reminds us of previous films by the director that eloquently conveyed the apathetic self-indulgence of modern Taiwanese youth.

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