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Three Times

Play trailer Poster for Three Times 2005 2h 10m Romance LGBTQ+ Play Trailer Watchlist
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86% Tomatometer 51 Reviews 71% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
Three romantic tales take place in different eras. In "A Time for Love," set in 1966, a soldier (Chen Chang) meets an alluring pool-hall hostess (Shu Qi). "A Time for Freedom," set in 1911, focuses on a courtesan's relationship with a man during the Japanese occupation of Taiwan. In "A Time for Youth," set in 2005, a singer forsakes her female lover for a photographer.
Three Times

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Slowly paced, understated, and exquisitely shot, these are three lovely odes to love and longing.

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Critics Reviews

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David Parkinson Empire Magazine 08/04/2006
3/5
This is a fascinating exercise in utilising style to make subtle psychological and political statements. Go to Full Review Digby Lewis BBC.com 08/01/2006
2/5
Hsiao-Hsien reinforces his excellent cinematography with a bold use of music, featuring The Platters' Smoke Gets In Your Eyes, but ultimately the running time could have been halved and he would still have made his point. Go to Full Review Moira MacDonald Seattle Times 07/14/2006
3.5/4
An emotional journey, a showcase for two fine actors, and a multifaceted picture of love. Go to Full Review David Walsh World Socialist Web Site 02/15/2021
Hou has seemed at sea since Flowers of Shanghai ... In his films in the 1980s an element of social protest was present, consciously or otherwise; this has largely been replaced by nostalgia. Go to Full Review Michael E. Grost Classic Film and Television 12/04/2016
The first of the three stories is the best., with good visual style. Go to Full Review Fernando F. Croce CinePassion 08/30/2009
Lambent Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Stephen C @bob25009 07/22/2025 Pride in 2 1/6 hours!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! In Mandarin and American English audio options with American English subtitles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $151,700.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Happy 20th anniversary!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See more 06/12/2017 Brilliantly acted and shot first and, to some extent, second parts were ruined by the stagnant third story. See more 10/30/2015 Three stories set in three times, 1911, 1966 and 2005. Two actors play the two main characters in each story. All of them sat in Thailand. This is not the easiest film to rate. It looks swell, and my first encounter with director Hsiao-hsien Hou makes me want to check out more of his films. With that said, this is a varied film that I would like to split up in it's three parts. The first part is superb. It looks great, the story and the pace is splendid and it got me really triggered for the rest. The second part is rather boring. It's sat in 1911 and a nice touch is to make it muted only supported by text, music and colors. The final part is all right. It's a bit more exciting, but still very suble and quite dark. It looks good and it's OK acted. In total I must say that this is a cool idea with OK execution. Part one is fantastic but other parts of the film are straight up boring and hard to follow. 6.5 out of 10 pool games. See more 06/04/2014 Amazing. The cinematography of Hou Hsiao-hsien once again embellishes the already beautiful film, like a chocolate syrup-coated cherry topping. See more 11/21/2013 Simplicity In It's Best Form ... Another Underrated Picture ... Another Great Director ... About Love, Freedom & Youth We Talking Here . See more 06/04/2013 Beautiful cinematography and acting but I have to admit that I only connected with the first segment See more Read all reviews
Three Times

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Cast & Crew

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Hsiao-hsien Hou

Director

Shu Qi

May

Chang Chen

Chen

Mei Fang

Old Woman

Liao Su-jen

Madam

Di Mei

May's mother

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Three Times

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Movie Info

Synopsis Three romantic tales take place in different eras. In "A Time for Love," set in 1966, a soldier (Chen Chang) meets an alluring pool-hall hostess (Shu Qi). "A Time for Freedom," set in 1911, focuses on a courtesan's relationship with a man during the Japanese occupation of Taiwan. In "A Time for Youth," set in 2005, a singer forsakes her female lover for a photographer.
Director
Hsiao-hsien Hou
Producer
Chang Hua-fu
Screenwriter
Chu Tien-wen
Production Co
Sinomovie.com
Genre
Romance, LGBTQ+
Original Language
Chinese
Rerelease Date (Theaters)
Apr 26, 2006
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 27, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$151.7K
Runtime
2h 10m
Sound Mix
Dolby Digital
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