Ni na bian ji dian (2001)

A watch salesman meets a young woman soon leaving for Paris and becomes infatuated, so he begins to change all the clocks in Taipei to Paris time.

Director:

Ming-liang Tsai

Writers:

Ming-liang Tsai, Pi-ying Yang

Stars:

Kang-sheng Lee, Shiang-chyi Chen, Yi-Ching Lu

11 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview:
Kang-sheng Lee	...	Hsiao-kang
Shiang-chyi Chen	...	Shiang-chyi
Yi-Ching Lu	...	Mother
Tien Miao	...	Father
Cecilia Yip	...	Woman in Paris
Chao-jung Chen	...	Man in Subway Station
Kuei Tsai	...	Prostitute (as Guei Tsai)
Arthur Nauzyciel	...	Man at Phone Booth
David Ganansia	...	Man at Restaurant
Chao-yi Tsai	...	Clock Store Owner
Kuo-Cheng Huang	...	Fat Boy
Jean-Pierre Léaud	...	Jean-Pierre / Man at the Cemetery

Storyline

When a young street vendor with a grim home life meets a woman on her way to Paris, they forge an instant connection. He changes all the clocks in Taipei to French time; as he watches François Truffaut's "Les 400 Coups," she has a strange encounter with its now-aging star, Jean-Pierre Leaud.

---

Plot Keywords:

taipei taiwan | urinating into a bottle | watching tv | street vendor | french | 

---

Genres:

Drama | Romance

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Taiwan France

Language:

Mandarin French Min Nan English

Release Date:

26 September 2001 (France)

Also Known As:

Qi dao si bai ji

Filming Locations:

Taipei Hesien, Taiwan

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$17,142, 13 January 2002, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$193,047, 23 June 2002

Company Credits

Production Co:

Arena Films, Homegreen Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The sequence in the cinema takes place in the same venue as Goodbye, Dragon Inn (2003), and uses some of the same shots.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Father: Hsiao Kang? Hsiao Kang?

---

Connections

References for Xing xing yue liang tai yang: shang (1961)

User Reviews

Hypnotic,absorbing and touching all in an unusual filmic context.

This film-known in the US as "What Time is it There?" captured me in ways that I never expected a film to be able to do. Do not see this film seeking plot-linear connections-causal relationships. See this film to slip into a different view of the world we occupy. A world where feelings for one another do not necessarily have results we are aware of. Where the occasion of place and time and circumstance carry weights of understanding without explanation. I can only really tell you this film is slow-and deeply touching; plotless and driven by the regard for the persons in it; visually stunning without any visual trickery. Overall this film went instantly to the top of my own personal "best movies" and I don't even know how to tell you about it. Do see it.