Three Times

Three Times
Theatrical Poster
Traditional Chinese	最好的時光
Simplified Chinese	最好的时光
Literal meaning	Best of Times
Hanyu Pinyin	zuìhǎo de shíguāng
Directed by	Hou Hsiao-hsien
Written by	Hou Hsiao-hsien Chu T’ien-wen
Produced by	Chang Hua-fu
Starring	Shu Qi Chang Chen
Cinematography	Mark Lee Ping Bin
Edited by	Liao Ching-song
Music by	Lim Giong
Distributed by	First Distributors
Release date	May 20, 2005 (2005-05-20) (Cannes)
Running time	130 minutes
Country	Taiwan
Languages	Min Nan Mandarin

Three Times (Chinese: 最好的時光) is a 2005 Taiwanese film directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien. It consists of three separate stories of romance, set in different eras, using the same lead actors, Shu Qi and Chang Chen. In "A Time for Love," set in 1966, a soldier (Chang) meets an alluring pool-hall hostess (Shu). "A Time for Freedom," set in 1911, focuses on a courtesan's relationship with a freedom fighter during the Japanese occupation of Taiwan. In "A Time for Youth," set in 2005, a singer forsakes her female lover for a photographer with whom she's having an affair.

The film was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival,^[1] won the Golden Apricot for Best Feature Film at the 2006 Yerevan International Film Festival, and received positive reviews. In 2017 The New York Times listed it as one of the 25 best films of the 21st century.^[2] It has been praised for its topical themes of communication, romance and relationships, with each linked symbolically to the era it takes place in.