Hou Hsiao-hsien’s is considered a major feature and a "masterpiece" because it functions as a summary of his career, weaving together three distinct love stories set across a century of Taiwanese history . The Three Stories

Three Times is not merely a romance; it is a profound artistic statement by one of the masters of slow cinema. The film uses specific aesthetic techniques, including long takes, distance, and indirectness, to explore the interplay between individual destiny and historical context. 1. 1966: A Time for Love (自由夢)