In Our Time
Four interconnected visions of everyday Taiwanese life turn changing decades into an intimate portrait of a society discovering its modern identity.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- reflective
- wistful
- intimate
- cinephile viewing
- film studies session
What critics said
Critics and scholars regard the anthology as an important realist record of Taiwan’s social transformation and a pioneering work of Taiwan New Cinema.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Four separately directed segments collectively span Taiwan from the 1950s through the 1980s.
Scholars identify the film as a pioneering Taiwan New Cinema project with a realist approach to modern Taiwanese history.
Critical commentary specifically connects the film to ongoing changes in Taiwanese society and modernization.
The film’s young directors and collaborators advanced technical and formal practices within the established studio system.
Films like In Our Time, and why
A City of Sadness
shared taiwanese new cinema realism, social observation, and interest in modernization
The Boys from Fengkuei
shared taiwanese new cinema tradition, intimate family drama, and historical social change
The Story of a Summer Lover
shared multi-generational social realism, shifting modernity, and ensemble storytelling
Movie Details
- Directors
- Jim Tao, Chang Yi, Edward Yang, Ko I-chen
- Release Date
- 1982-08-28
- Runtime
- 110 min
- Rating
- 7.2 / 10 (28)
Cast
- Sylvia Chang
- An-ni Shih
- Lee Li-Chun
- Emily Y. Chang
- Li Kuo-hsiu
- Wang Qiguang
- Vega Tsai
- Chi Chen
- Sheng-wen Lan
- Sun Ya-Tung
Common questions
- What is In Our Time about?
- Four interconnected visions of everyday Taiwanese life turn changing decades into an intimate portrait of a society discovering its modern identity.
- What is In Our Time like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of In Our Time as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is In Our Time violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in In Our Time.
- What did critics think of In Our Time?
- Critics and scholars regard the anthology as an important realist record of Taiwan’s social transformation and a pioneering work of Taiwan New Cinema.
- Which films are like In Our Time?
- Films with a similar feel include A City of Sadness, The Boys from Fengkuei, and The Story of a Summer Lover.
- How long is In Our Time?
- In Our Time runs 110 minutes.
