| Director | Hou Hsiao-hsien |
|---|---|
| Genre | drama film |
| Runtime | 116 min |
| Country | France, Taiwan |
(Chinese: 戀愛夢; pinyin: liàn ài mèng) Set in Kaohsiung in 1966 (the year of the Cultural Revolution in mainland China and consequently a time of great freedom in Taiwan) with dialogue in Taiwanese Hokkien, the first story follows a young soldier, Chen, who is awaiting deployment to his station, and his encounter with a young woman, May, who works in a poolhall. Chen and May meet while playing pool together and often exchange glances while trying to remain discreet about their mutual attraction. As May begins to close the hall for the night, Chen promises to write to her before departing and she is flattered.
Three months later, May receives a letter from Chen in which he writes that he hopes to see her soon. After working at the poolhall for a few months, she decides to return to Chiayi, where she had previously worked.
One day, while off duty, Chen gets a chance to visit the Kaohsiung poolhall only to discover that May no longer works there. He begins to follow her trail, finally tracking her down at a different pool hall in Huwei. They spend some time together before heading to the train station so that he may return to his post, but arrive too late, missing the departure. She suggests they wait for the next bus and as they stand at the stop, he takes her hand and they huddle together underneath their umbrella.
(Chinese: 自由夢; pinyin: zì yóu mèng) Set in Dadaocheng in 1911 (when Taiwan was occupied by the Japanese), with dialogue presented only through on-screen titles (as in a silent film), the second segment follows a singing courtesan living in a brothel who wants to be freed by becoming a concubine to Mr. Chang, a customer whose occupation as a traveling writer and political freedom fighter keeps him away for months at a time. When he visits her, he often shares stories of his travels and she sings to him (the only times we hear a voice during the segment). Despite being fond of her, he denies her the opportunity of freedom because he disagrees with the system of concubinage and is overcommitted to the political cause of fighting the Japanese through diplomacy.
When her younger sister, Ah Mei, who also works as a courtesan, is impregnated by a customer who can't afford to buy her out, Mr. Chang decides to help buy the younger sister's freedom. After being bought, Ah Mei goes to speak with her sister and they say their farewells.
One month later, Mr. Chang returns to the brothel to visit the courtesan. She tells him that she has been asked by her Madame to remain until Ah Mei's position is replaced and hopefully glances at him. Mr. Chang doesn't respond.
A few days later, the new courtesan is brought in and speaks with her. She asks her age; the girl says she is ten. After Ah Mei comes to visit, the courtesan asks Mr. Chang if he has any plans to make her his concubine. He remains silent and she begins to cry.
Three months later, the courtesan listens to the new girl's singing lessons when she receives a letter from Mr. Chang. In it, he writes of a poem that reflects on the sorrow that may befall Taiwan after being liberated by its captors. After reading the poem, the courtesan wipes her tears away.
(Chinese: 青春夢; pinyin: qīng chūn mèng) Set in Taipei in 2005, with dialogue in Mandarin, the third segment begins with Jing, an epileptic club singer in a lesbian relationship, who has a sexual encounter with a photographer, Zhen, in her apartment and begins an affair. During one of her performances, he comes onstage to photograph her up close, prompting other photographers to follow suit, all while her girlfriend watches from the crowd. After Jing begins to interact with Zhen on stage, his girlfriend (presumably) walks out on the performance. Back at his apartment, Zhen finds Jing's badge with instructions on what to do in case of an epileptic episode. Before he goes to return it, he spots his girlfriend down the street and tries to embrace her, but she rejects his advances.
Later, at a club, Jing and her girlfriend argue over Jing's failure to respond to her calls. Jing calms her down with a hug and promises to wait for her to perform. After they arrive at their apartment, Jing receives a text from Zhen to meet the following day so he can give her the photos as well as her misplaced badge. Jing's girlfriend tries to speak with her, but she remains distant. When her girlfriend leaves to bathe, Jing starts writing lyrics inspired by her experience with Zhen.
The following morning, Jing works on recording the music to the song she wrote the night before. She meets up with Zhen and asks him to take her to his place, where they continue their affair. Back at the apartment, Jing's girlfriend wakes up to find Jing absent. After finding Jing's phone left behind, she types Jing a message in which she writes that she's tired of waiting to be loved back and that she'll kill herself like Jing's previous girlfriend.
Jing returns home and finds the message. She reads it and lies down on the bed. The song she wrote begins to play. We see her riding with Zhen on his motorbike along the freeway.