"Executive Producer Hou Hsiao Hsien and Hwarng Wern-Ying" "Editor:" "Liao Ching-Sun" "Starring Shu Qi and Chang Chen" "Directed by Hou Hsiao Hsien" "THREE TIMES" "KAOHSIUNG, 1966" "A TIME FOR LOVE" "Ma'am..." "You're here!" "You came from Xinying?" "Go on in" "I'll be right there when I've made this offering" "Okay" "Need a hand?" "No, thanks" "Did you look around?" "I'll show you the upstairs" "Good" "May" "Come upstairs for lunch!" "Coming..." ""Dear Miss Haruko..."" ""I'm being bold enough to write to you"" ""I'm about to do my military service"" ""My folks wrote to me yesterday"" ""They said my call-up notice has arrived"" ""They're asking me to come home as soon as I can"" ""Time flies..."" ""I failed the university entrance exam two years running"" ""My mother has passed away"" ""I've no idea what the future holds"" ""I just want to thank you"" ""The days I've spent around here..."" ""...have been my happiest days"" ""Hope to hear back from you"" ""Take care"" ""P S. You know that song called 'In Love'?"" ""The lyrics go..."" ""I think of you, I think of you"" ""It's been three years..."" ""But you're always in my dreams"" ""Why do seabirds wake me from my dream?"" ""It's because their sad cries..."" ""...pierce my heart"" "Is Haruko here?" "She's gone to Taichung" "Taichung?" "Do you know where?" "By the railway station" "What's your name?" "Your name?" "My name is May" "May" "You sank it?" "Great!" "You need to concentrate!" "I thought I could get this ball over there and sink it that way" "No way!" "You haven't sunk a ball for ages!" "So I still lose" "Right" "Never mind" "I have to go" "Go where?" "I'm starting military service, in Taipei" "Keep the change" "I'll write to you" "I'll write to you" "I'll send it here" ""Dear Miss May" "Do you remember me?"" ""We played one round before I left to do military service"" ""Time flies"" ""That was three months ago!"" ""We have non-stop spring rain"" ""In our base, they keep playing that song"" ""Rain and Tears"" ""It sums up my feelings..." "Hope to see you soon"" ""Stay beautiful!"" "Have a seat" "Ma'am..." "I should be going" "Won't you have lunch with us first?" "I'll miss the train" "You're welcome to come back here anytime" "Thank you" "Have you worked in Jiayi before?" "Yes" "I thought so, I saw you there" "I have to go" "Hello" "Is May here?" "She doesn't work here any more" "She's gone to Jiayi" "Jiayi?" "Where exactly?" "A pool-hall there" "Are you looking for her?" "I can ask our boss" "Ma'am!" "There's a man here looking for May" "Okay" "You're looking for May?" "Yes" "She's in Jiayi, at 685, Zhongcheng Road" "Zhongcheng Road?" "That's right" "GANGSHAN" "TAINAN" "JIAYI" "Excuse me..." "Is there a girl called May here?" "She left days ago" "Do you know where she is now?" "Sorry, I don't" "Thanks anyway" "One bonus point" "SHUISHANG" "XINYING" "Excuse me..." "This is Number 11, so where's Number 3?" "Number 30" "Number 3" "That's No. 6..." "The doctor lives in No. 1" "You can ask there" "Anyone in?" "Who is it?" "Who are you looking for?" "I'm looking for May" "May?" "She's not here, she's in Huwei" "Huwei" "Who are you?" "How do you know this address?" "I'm a friend of hers from Kaohsiung" "She wrote to me" "Oh, I see" "You know where she is?" "Yes, she wrote to me the other day" "I'll fetch her letter" "Thank you" "Thank you" "See you again!" "DALIN" "DOUNAN" "HUWEl" "You don't have to let me win!" "Long time no see!" "How did you find me here?" "Your mother told me" "It was hard to track you down" "Have you eaten yet?" "What time do you get off?" "Two hours from now" "When are you due back in base?" "At 9 tomorrow morning" "Have some tea?" "Sure" "Thank you" "Sit down" "Cigarette?" "Okay" "Hey, spare me a cigarette?" "Cigarette" "There are no more trains" "What time you have to be there?" "Nine in the morning" "Then we'd better wait at the car-share place" "DADAOCHENG, 1911" "When did you arrive?" "Yesterday..." "I met Mr Liang on the docks at Keelung" "There was a meeting today at the" "Eastern Restaurant, and it was packed" "You mean the Mr Liang who fled to Japan when the Reform Movement collapsed?" "Mr Liang spoke for one hour and wrote out four poems and we found them deeply moving" "One poem read..." ""Our homeland is torn asunder" "Our brotherly bond is ever tighter"" "A TIME FOR FREEDOM" "How long will you stay?" "Five days" "I will go with Mr Liang to Taichung, and then come back north" "Before the new year, your son had a fever... has he recovered?" "He is well now, but it took two whole months" "NEXT DAY" "We sincerely wish to resolve the matter of redeeming Ah Mei's contract" "300 silver dollars is a large sum" "Is it possible to discuss some more?" "Ah Mei is pregnant by the heir to the Su Tea Plantation" "He is willing to take her as his concubine" "What have they decided?" "The Su family offers 200 silver dollars" "But Madame asks for 300, so they couldn't agree" "I will make up the difference for them" "In your articles you have always criticize the keeping of concubines" "Aren't you acting against your own principles?" "I do disapprove of keeping concubines but in this case, I must assent" "Ah Mei's future must come first" "Mr. Chang, your generosity is overwhelming" "Your stay is too short to allow us to show our full gratitude" "Travel safely" "I will have Ah Mei and her husband thank you in person when you return" "SIX DAYS LATER" "I can see that Mr Su is honorable" "His father is also very understanding, you are blessed." "You will be married tomorrow, and your life will be very different" "Rise early to serve your in-laws" "Always defer to the first wife" "Never behave willfully." "ONE MONTH LATER" "During my travels with Mr Liang" "I met many people." "It has been very inspiring." "Mr Liang says China will not be ready to help our people secede from Japan for another 3 decades." "This is 100 silver dollars." "Many thanks!" "Ah Mei is truly fortunate to have found such a good family." "Madame is seeking a new girl to adopt" "Meanwhile, she asks me to stay here longer" "She always promised to release me for marriage once Ah Mei became a top courtesan herself." "THE NEXT DAY" " How old are you?" " I am ten." "Good bone structure..." "A little skinny." "You are pregnant." "Don't overtire yourself." "Today Ah Mei returns to express her gratitude to you, sir." "Without your kind intervention, this would not have happened." "You leave tomorrow, when will you come again?" "I will assist Mr Liang with his plan for a newspaper." "I may turn up here at any time." "I have something to ask you..." "Last time you said that you assented in Ah Mei's case for the sake of her future." "Now Madame is asking me to stay here longer." "Have you gave a thought about my future?" "THREE MONTHS LATER THE WUCHANG UPRISING" ""I reached Tokyo a day ago to join Mr Liang"" ""We leave for Shanghai tomorrow"" ""I visited the hall where the treaty ceding Taiwan to Japan was signed"" ""Thinking of Mr Liang's poem, I couldn't help shedding tears"" ""Although this place has torn my heart, it is wrenching to leave it." ""With all that has passed in these 17 years the tears of the oppressed are not assuaged."" "TAIPEI,2005" "Are you okay?" "A TIME FOR YOUTH" "Mother, did you just call me?" "I see" "Are you okay?" ""Born premature"" ""Showed up too early..."" ""High price to pay"" ""Fractured bones, a hole in the heart"" ""Epilepsy, almost blind in my right eye"" ""A yen sign branded on my neck"" ""Name your price!" "I want to sell my soul..."" ""No past, no future, just a hungry present"" "Please open your eyes" "Open your ears" "Check you brain" "To realize what you want" "To realize who you are" "No one can decide how you feel" "Don't be afraid to" "Liberate deep inside your mind" "The color which you've seen" "The shape which you're in" "May reveal the secret" "You've never known before" "So celebrate when you're honest to yourself" "So celebrate when you no need to disregard how you feel" "So celebrate when you feel different from mine" "Let's celebrate when we no need to tell lie and hide" ""I suffer from epilepsy"" ""Please do not call an ambulance"" ""Please move me to a safe, warm place"" ""Taipei Medical University Hospital"" "Piss off!" "Come home" "Don't bug me!" "I need napkins" "Pass me some napkins" "Thanks" "Why didn't you take my calls?" "I kept ringing, you never picked up" "Even if you were sleeping, you could have called back" "I was sleeping" "Why didn't you call me to say so?" "I told you I was tired" "Then why did you switch off your phone after my call?" "I told you, I had a fit" "But right after you texted me you switched off your phone" "I went to sleep right away" "You could still have called me" "Couldn't you hear your phone?" "Couldn't you?" "I left it in vibration mode" "Don't be angry" "Don't be angry" "If you were me, what would you think?" "I'll wait for you when you finish, okay?" "TEXT MESSAGE" ""Can't sleep, miss you, you left your epilepsy card at my place"" ""Developed the photos, will show you tomorrow"" "I burn my hand every time I light a candle with this lighter." "My thumb hurts." "It's almost run out." "I can hardly light this one." "Pass that one to me." "Thanks." "We'll light this one later." "And that one." "That one too." "Has water gone inside?" "You hear that funny sound?" "The wick is wet." "Let's buy some new ones tomorrow." "There are two left." "The water is dirty." "Can you change it later?" "Is it because of the candle wax?" "I can't even light them" "Shall I put some fragrant oils in the bath?" "Okay" "Let's bathe together." "I'll take silence as a 'Yes'" "Okay" "I'll go get clothes" ""The pictures taken before" ""With smiling gray eyes" ""May rest, such cruel sound" "Jing!" "It's ready, hurry up!" ""It's still vivid, like a bird"" "Jing..." "You're still awake?" "Grandma made some chicken soup" "I'll get some for you?" "Jing!" "Grandma made some chicken soup" "I'll get some for you?" "Okay" "Sorry, I'm late" "I called you just now" "But you didn't answer" "The photos." "Go to your place." "Jing?" "Jing?" ""One missed call"" ""Connecting..."" "You must have gone out before 12:45." "You left your cell phone here." "I think you did it on purpose." "To make me think you had... just stepped out for a minute." "Your last missed call was at 12.45." "So you'd have gone by then." "Now it's 3:33." "You've been out for over 3 hours." "You knew I'd wake up at 4." "I don't want to hear any more of your lies." "I'm fed up with waiting for you." "You keep pushing me." "You know that I love you more than you love me." "You'll regret this" "I will kill myself just like Olika." ""I think you did it on purpose"" ""Your last missed call was at 12:45"" ""You've been out for over 3 hours"" ""I don't want to hear anymore of your lies"" ""I'm fed up with waiting for you"" ""You keep pushing me"" ""You know that I love you more than you love me"" ""You'll regret this"" ""I will kill myself just like Olika""