The Time to Live and the Time to Die

1985 2h 16m ZH

👍

7.2

SOLID

★7.2TMDB · 112

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

An autobiographical film based on Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-hsien's memories of his youth growing up in Taiwan after emigrating from mainland China.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Yu An-shun
Ah Ha / Ah Hsiao
Tien Feng
Hou Fen Ming
Mei Fang
Ming's Wife
Tang Ru-Yun
Ming's Mother
Hsin Shu-Fen
Wu Shumei
Hsiao Ai
Hsiao's Sister
Ng Siu-Ying
Grace Chen Shu-Fang

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Hou Hsiao-hsien
Writers: Hou Hsiao-hsien, Chu Tien-Wen
Languages: Mandarin
Countries: Taiwan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

41 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

CRAFT

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien, shot by Mark Lee Ping-Bing. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Chang Hung-Yi. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Liao Ching-sung shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Yu An-shun and Tien Feng and Mei Fang carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0090185 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Hou Hsiao-hsien directs. Mark Lee Ping-Bing behind the camera. Chang Hung-Yi scores. Liao Ching-sung cuts. Produced in Taiwan. Dialogue in Mandarin.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

141 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
3Directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien, shot by Mark Lee Ping-Bing. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Chang Hung-Yi. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Liao Ching-sung shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Yu An-shun and Tien Feng and Mei Fang carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0090185 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 9 themes, including "family relationships", "coming of age", "taiwan", "youth gang".
9Released under 10 different titles around the world.