Three Times Review

Three love stories, set in three times. The pair of lead actors play the couple in each era. In 1911, she's a tea house courtesan and he's a regular. In 1966, he's an army boy on leave, and she's a pool shark. In 2005, She's a rock chick, and he's a photographer. Both are married.

by David Parkinson |

Published on1st January 2000 at 9.00am

Release Date:

04 Aug 2006

Running Time:

135 minutes

Certificate:

12A

Original Title:

Three Times

Originally intended as a three-handed portmanteau, this exquisite exercise in style and subtle political symbolism instead showcases the different sides of Taiwanese maestro Hou Hsiao-hsien. The three vignettes all feature Shu Qi and Chang Chen playing, in turn, a snooker-hall hostess and a soldier seeking an old flame; a courtesan and a revolutionary; and an epileptic bisexual singer and a fascinated photographer.

Respectively set in 1911, 1966 and 2005, the stories not only capture the essence of their time, but also sequentially echo Wong Kar-Wai’s In The Mood For Love and Hou’s own Flowers Of Shanghai and Millennium Mambo. Historically and humanly insightful.

This is a fascinating exercise in utilising style to make subtle psychological and political statements. But while it looks superb, Hou Hsiao-hsien's triptych doesn't always avoid a melodrama that undermines its artistic integrity.

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