three times

"A trilogy of desire from the Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-hsien in which the same actress and actor play variations on lovers in three distinct historical periods" (New York Times): 1966 pool hall, a 1911 brothel and present day Taipei.

"Like Wong Kar-wai, Hou's interest in the unspoken nature of desire means his movie is sensually alive to the way love overwhelms and transforms one's experience of the world." (Toronto Star)

"Is there another filmmaker who can so fluidly celebrate the moment as well as the epoch, and do so in the same shot?" (Village Voice)