This is a fascinating exercise in utilising style to make subtle psychological and political statements.

Hsiao-Hsien reinforces his excellent cinematography with a bold use of music, featuring The Platters' Smoke Gets In Your Eyes, but ultimately the running time could have been halved and he would still have made his point.

An emotional journey, a showcase for two fine actors, and a multifaceted picture of love.

Hou has seemed at sea since Flowers of Shanghai ... In his films in the 1980s an element of social protest was present, consciously or otherwise; this has largely been replaced by nostalgia.