''A Borrowed Life'' () is a 1994 Taiwanese film and the directorial debut of

Wu Nien-jen Wu Nien-jen (; born ; 5 August 1952) is a Taiwanese screenwriter, director, and writer. He is one of the most prolific and highly regarded scriptwriters in Taiwan and a leading member of the New Taiwanese Cinema, although he has also acted in a n ...

. The film depicts cultural and regime change in Taiwan. The film's running time is 167 minutes. Reviews by Ken Eisner in ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' and

Stephen Holden Stephen Holden (born July 18, 1941) is an American writer, poet, and music and film critic. Biography Holden earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Yale University in 1963. He worked as a photo editor, staff writer, and eventually be ...

in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' noted that the film was autobiographical and told largely from the perspective of director

as a child. Eisner was critical of the film for its excessive focus on the father-son relationship, which left other characters' viewpoints unexplored. Chen Kuan-Hsing examined languages and dialects used in the film, linking differences to the cultural changes portrayed within, as Japanese rule was lifted and the Kuomintang assumed control of Taiwan.

Selected cast

* Tsai Chen-nan as Sega * Kerris Tsai as Sega's wife *Chung Yo-hong, Cheng Kwei-chung and Fu Jun as Wen Jian *Peng Wan-chun as sister *Lee Chuo-liang as brother * Akio Chen as Nomu, Sega's neighbor * as Sega's mother * Chen Hsi-huang as Sega's father *, Akiko, Nomu's wife * Chen Shu-fang, Akiko's mother

Awards and reception

The film won the Grand Prize (Prize of the City of Torino for Best Film - International Feature Film Competition) at the

Torino Film Festival The Torino Film Festival (also called the Turin Film Festival, TFF) is an international film festival held annually in Turin, Italy. Held every November, it is the second largest film festival in Italy, following the Venice Film Festival. It was f ...

in Italy, a FIPRESCI/NETPAC Award at the 1995

Singapore International Film Festival The Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) (Simplified Chinese, Chinese: 新加坡国际电影节) is the longest-running film festival in Singapore, founded in 1987. The 35th Singapore International Film Festival took place from 28 Novem ...

and the Silver Alexander Award as well as the

FIPRESCI Prize The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI, short for ''Fédération Internationale de la Presse Cinématographique'') is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the worl ...

(International Federation of Film Critics Award) at the 1994

Thessaloniki Film Festival The Thessaloniki Film Festival is a Thessaloniki-based cultural institution focusing on cinema. The Institution organizes the Thessaloniki International Film Festival every November and the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival every March, while its ...

in Greece. It also received the Golden Horse Audience Choice Award.

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November17, 1942) is an American filmmaker. One of the major figures of the New Hollywood era, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Martin Scorsese, many accolades, including an Academ ...

considered ''A Borrowed Life'' the third best movie of the 1990s.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Borrowed Life 1994 films 1990s biographical drama films 1990s Japanese-language films 1990s Mandarin-language films Taiwanese biographical films Hokkien-language films Films with screenplays by Wu Nien-jen Films about father–son relationships Taiwanese drama films 1994 directorial debut films 1994 drama films