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What Time Is It There?

Name: What Time Is It There?
Director: Tsai Ming-liang
Released: 2001
Duration: 116 min

Representation Score

8.5/10

Excellent

2001

Not Rated

Director

Tsai Ming-liang

Runtime

116 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Tsai Ming-liang’s work dismantles traditional social hierarchies through an existentialist perspective. By removing standard domestic archetypes, the film provides a nuanced view of individual ability to act in a fragmented society. The narrative’s strength lies in its rejection of conventional storytelling and mainstream cinematic clichés. Instead, it uses a quiet atmosphere to explore the erosion of human connection in a rapidly modernizing Taipei. However, the film’s focus on internal, metaphorical struggles means it does not explicitly represent physical or neurodivergent disabilities. Its localized setting also limits its scope regarding multiculturalism.

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Category Breakdown

Does What Time Is It There? have LGBTQ+ representation?

Good

The film examines intimacy through a lens of isolation, focusing on sensory experiences of desire rather than traditional romantic milestones.

How does What Time Is It There? portray gender?

Good

Both men and women are shown to be equally affected by urban loneliness. Characters are depicted as independent individuals navigating a lack of meaningful connections.

How racially and ethnically diverse is What Time Is It There??

Fair

The story offers an authentic look at the urban Taiwanese experience, emphasizing the socioeconomic conditions of Taipei's working and middle classes.

How does What Time Is It There? represent religion and culture?

Good

The film critiques the impact of modern capitalism on urban life and the breakdown of traditional family structures, portraying rapid urbanization as a source of widespread alienation.

Does What Time Is It There? include disability representation?

Fair

The film's portrayal of disability is metaphorical, focusing on a societal inability to connect rather than physical or cognitive impairments.

Present on Screen

Challenges traditional gender roles by avoiding standard masculine or feminine archetypes.
Provides an authentic, non-Western-centric view of the Taiwanese urban experience.
Offers a sophisticated critique of how modern capitalism and urbanization lead to social alienation.

Limited or Absent

Lacks explicit representation of physical or neurodivergent disabilities.
Does not utilize multiculturalism or diverse racial casting as a narrative driver.
Avoids specific LGBTQ+ narrative arcs in favor of more abstract themes of desire.

Official Synopsis

A street vendor with a grim home-life forges a connection with a young woman on her way to Paris.

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