USER REVIEWS:
Oracle 10Hou Hsiao-Hsien's magical Talent makes "Three Times" A Gem Of A Film.
Grade: A-
Hou Hsiao-Hsien's mystical concoction of 3 love stories told in different time periods but starring the same lead actors (Shu Qi and Chang Chen), "Three Times" finds Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-Hsien masterfully revisiting and expanding upon his favorite milieus and themes. Perhaps it is a bit slow at the beginning, but once you get into it, it is truly a wonder of a film. My first thought of "Three Times", was that it was an expirement of beautiful cinema, driven by a masterful director, Hou Hsiao-Hsien. "Three Times" is almost close to masterpiece level.
In this, only the second of Mr. Hou's films to secure distribution in this country, Shu Qi plays three women living in three historical periods, separate moments that define both their relationships to the larger world and to their lovers, played in each story by the equally striking actor Chang Chen. Although the stories work on their own, they also complement one another, so much so that the last story, "A Time for Youth," seems less like an ending than a beginning.
Perhaps the most beautiful one of them all, would probably be the first one, "A Time for Love". Its physical attraction and beautiful acting drives viewers to see more. "Three Times" is a rapturously beautiful piece of modern cinema, that in all, can be fullfiling enough to indulge on half of its beauty.
-Oracle
This movie is available on DVD/Video