Three Times – Zui Hao De Shi Guang (2005)

Directed by: Hou Hsiao-Hsien | 135 minutes | drama, romance | Actors: Shu Qi, Chang Chen, Mei Fang, Liao Su-Jen, Di Mei

‘Three Times’ started as a very ambitious project: three different directors were supposed to make three love stories. Each story is set in a different period in Taiwanese 20th-century history, so the stories are not just personal love stories, but also historical stories that say something about Taiwanese society.

‘Three Times’ ultimately had to fulfill those ambitions with just one director. Hou Hsiao-Hsien was left as the sole director, and then decided to direct all three stories. And that worked out well. ‘Three Times’ has become a poetic film that can be viewed as one complete film, perhaps precisely thanks to the fact that only one director has worked on it.

The three stories all exude a different atmosphere, especially because of the completely different backgrounds against which the stories are set. That is precisely the intention: Taiwan, like any society, has changed considerably in a century. From a feudal society under Japanese rule to a western individualized society.

But regardless of time, people always love other people, or at least try to. That seems to be the central theme of ‘Three Times’: the stories are filmed in a distant and almost silent manner. This detachment gives a soothing and poetic atmosphere to the film, even to the last story that takes place in the fast-paced society of Taiwan in 2005.

The first story, ‘A Time for Love’, is set in 1966. This poetic tranquility is most apparent in this story. The story is quite simple: a young man meets, just before he takes up employment, a girl who works in the cafe where he regularly plays billiards. He writes to her, and wants to visit her when he is on leave. She now works elsewhere, so he goes looking for her. A man looking for love.

The second story, ‘A Time for Freedom’, is set in 1911. Taiwan is occupied by Japan, against which we see a gentleman and his distant but loving and respectful attitude towards a concubine. However, she hopes for more. This story is the most social: it provides a historical picture of social relations in Taiwan in 1911. What also makes this story special is that it is largely a ‘silent’ film. This was, incidentally, forced to choose: because the actors did not master the Mandarin that was spoken in Taiwan at the time, it was decided to always show the dialogues between the scenes, which was quite common in films at the time. This emergency grip gives the story something extra: it makes this part of the film even calmer. In silence, or listening to the beautiful music, you watch and enjoy the images.

The third story, ‘A Time for Youth’, is set in busy Taipei in 2005. We see a young graphic designer and a beautiful singer start an affair. Despite being bonded to others, they cannot deny their love for each other and they keep seeking each other out. This story is perhaps the most predictable and recognizable, also because it takes place in this time, and therefore it is also the least distinctive. The lyrics that the singer sings sometimes seem a bit too forced to relate to her own struggles with her friend and her lover. Yet this story also exudes the soothing tranquility that the rest of the film also has.

What also makes ‘Three Times’ special is that in all three stories the same two actors play the lead roles (Shu Qi and Chang Chen). It helps to bring unity to the stories and at the same time shows that it is possible to make an ambitious and complicated film with only two actors and a handful of supporting roles, which are also often played by recurring actors.

Despite, or rather because of, the restrictions Hou Hsiao-Hsien has imposed on himself (usually out of necessity), ‘Three Times’ has become an impressive film: impressive because such an ambitious story can be told so simply and quietly.

Even in a perpetual society, themes such as love, freedom and youth remain topical. The subjects are old, the way they are cast in a story can still be beautiful and refreshing. ‘Three Times’ proves that.