Film Review: Three Times

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I should dutifully state that Three Times is my first Hou Hsiao-hsien experience, and thus any insight I have here will be minimal at best. I can already tell that this film is the work of an artist that deserves numerous viewings, as well as previous knowledge of his catalogue in order to analyze it with some measure of credibility. Alas, I promised to review this, and I'm damn well going to.

Three Times (a title that, uncryptically, refers to the three segments--set in three eras--starring the same three actors) is a movie of seemingly small ambition: an intimate, arty film that focuses tightly on its brief love stories. What's so disarming about it, is just how powerful those stories end up being.

The first ("A Time for Love," set in the 60's) is an unassuming account of blossoming romance, involving a man trying to track down the girl he met and fell for after visiting the pool hall she worked in. Their flirtation--given that the man was previously looking for another pool-hall girl (Chen Shi-Zheng), and could ultimately just be settling for the one that was there--is initially trivial. The chemistry between the couple (hypnotic Shu Qi and Chang Chen), and the lovely inclusion of "Rain and Tears" elevate the piece greatly, and it becomes, if nothing else, a graceful opening act.

With the stunning, near-silent centerpiece "A Time for Freedom," Three Times almost instantly grows into a great film. Taking place in 1911, this segment--confined to the interior of an upper-class brothel for its duration--could perhaps be called theatrical, if it weren't so subtle. The spoken dialogue is presented on title cards, and the only in-film sound is the eerie, traditional Chinese music provided by one of the female residents. More of a mood piece/ghost story than a romance, there is still an unmistakable feeling of longing and love lost (or perennially out of reach) occupying every frame.

The final chapter, "A Time for Youth," is relentless in its abandon of everything that came before it. The characters this time out are without honor or innocence--and the three of them become a literal triangle for the first time in the film. The cold backdrop of a technology-cluttered present-day is surprisingly unsettling, as Hou casts an all-too-observant eye on modern relationships. The days bleed together here, as the three lovers rotate through one another, tensions escalate, and eventually--inevitably--three does prove to be a crowd. "A Time for Youth," is the harshest 'reality' of the mini-trilogy, and also the most electrifying.

Three Times doesn't have the kind of ending where you wonder how these people will end up, or what happens when the celluloid stops rolling. It's apparent after the (Fallen Angels-esque) final shot, Hou's said all he needs to--about love, but mostly, if you ask me, about human nature. I may be one of very few, but (while undeniably romantic), I couldn't see this as a romance. With the alarmingly bleak closing story as evidence: I suspect Three Times is more cynical than it lets on. The longer it sits with me, the more I'm inclined to call it a masterpiece. But, since that would be hasty, I'll just say: it's tantalizingly close.