The Time to Live and the Time to Die (1985)
Autobiography of a rebellious filmmaker.
Presentation:
If you donโt like non-fiction, this is pretty hardcore when it comes to biographical filmmaking. Taipei director Hsiao-Hsien Hou of the Taiwanese New Wave introduces himself to the world stage with a story about his own life as a child to young adult. Itโs not trying to impress us in any way with the focus always on trying to tell us his story. The cinematography has classical Chinese framing, which utilizes formal 90 degree POVs. As a result it feels very theatre or operatic in presentation. Itโs shot with only long lenses to capture the interiors of countryside households, which realistically depict the undeveloped villages of the time. The beginning is quite boring though his life does become very interesting toward the second half.
Conclusion:
If you wanted to understand how the rebellious filmmaker came to be, here it is. An honest autobiography with very little flourishes. But even if you have watched Hou Hsiao-hsienโs other films, Iโm not sure western audiences will really care about this. Maybe if you wanted to experience Taiwan in the 1950s this would immerse you in an foreign humble lifestyle, but I feel most will find it boring like I did. Watching this felt like a homework assignment and reviewing it like writing a book report. Watch Edward Yang films to get the Taiwanese family experience instead.
Recommendations
Is it better to suffer injustice than do it?