Master puppeteer Li Tien-lu recalls his life in Japanese-occupied Taiwan during the first half of the 20th century.
Direction
Static long takes that make time itself a character.
Cinematography
Every frame could hang in a museum.
Acting
Li Tian-lu playing himself — documentary and fiction collapse.
Director
Hou Hsiao-hsien
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Hou filmed Li's actual puppet shows, then staged recreations of his life — the real Li performs both.
Banned in parts of Asia for its complex portrayal of Japanese colonialism; some critics called it 'too sympathetic' to occupiers.
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