A Borrowed Life
A Borrowed Life is a 1994 Taiwanese film and the directorial debut of Wu Nien-jen. The film depicts cultural and regime change in Taiwan.
The film's running time is 167 minutes. Reviews by Ken Eisner in Variety and Stephen Holden in The [New York Times] noted that the film was autobiographical and told largely from the perspective of director Wu Nien-jen 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
Martin Scorsese considered A Borrowed Life the third best movie of the 1990s.