We’ve watched quite a few films by Hou Hsiao-Hsien so far but this is the first one that is abut romance and pretty much only romance. It’s actually a compilation of three separate short films, though all three star Shu Qi and Chang Chen as the leads, albeit appearing as different characters in different stories. Oddly enough, Wikipedia tells me that each of the short films were supposed to be made by a different director but the producers couldn’t afford it so Hou ended up directing all three.
The first one is set in 1966 amidst smoky pool halls and old English songs played over the radio. I think opening with Smoke Gets in Your Eyes is laying on the nostalgia factor on a bit too thickly. She’s a young woman whose job is apparently to mind the place and play pool with customers. He’s a young man who has just been called up for national service. Both are innocent and inexperienced in the ways of love. The second is a silent film with dialogue presented through on-screen captions. It’s 1911 and Taiwan is under Japanese rule. She’s a courtesan and he is a rich idealist who wants to help free Taiwan, while seemingly insouciant of her own yearning to be free herself of the brothel. The last film is set in 2005, with the backdrop being the bustling streets of Taipei and its throbbing nightclubs. She’s a singer and he’s a photographer. Both develop a passion for each other even though they already have established relationships of their own.
In his review, Roger Ebert characterized the three types of love as unfulfilled, mercenary and meaningless, which I think is hilariously wrong. The first one is meant to portray first love, with all of the cute eagerness and awkwardness that entails. Unfortunately the two leads look a little too mature to pull it off. The second one obviously plays with the theme of freedom. I especially loved how the man feels at ease enough with her to share his ideals about the future of Taiwan but can’t bring himself to directly state to her that his plans for his own future don’t include her. It’s probably my personal favorite of the three. The last one is the weakest and not even the revelation that the girl is already involved with another girl can save it from being somewhat mundane. I enjoyed however how deliberately loud and full of distractions it is compared to the quietness and understated quality of the previous two shorts.
None of the three stories offer any special insights or are especially outstanding in quality but with the sure hand of Hou at the helm and with experienced and skilled performers playing the roles, it’s more than enough to qualify as great cinema. The cinematography is exquisite, with even casual shots of Shu Qi walking in front of shops in Taipei being imbued with sublime beauty. I was also surprised by how dynamic some of the shots look, especially compared to the static wide frame shots that are often seen in Hou’s earlier works. Having Chang Chen and Shu Qi zip across the city on a motorcycle is a great way of capturing the fast pace of city life but it cant have been easy to get a camera to track the movement.
Overall this isn’t anything to go out of your way for, but if you feel a hankering for watching some well made romantic stories, as my wife does from time to pick, this is a pretty solid choice.