A Borrowed Life

A Borrowed Life

1995 · 167 min · ★ 7.1 · Drama

Sega's children, born into post-war Chinese rule, can't relate to their father's love for Japanese culture, having grown up under Japanese rule before WWII.

Directed by Wu Nien-jen · Written by Wu Nien-jen

Your Rating

Cast

Make it a double feature

4h 27m together

A Borrowed Life

The Dull-Ice Flower

Both from Wu Nien-jen.

More from Wu Nien-jenSee all →

The Year of Happiness and LoveThe Year of Happiness and Love · 2009
The Year of Happiness and Love
★ 9.52009
SeriesComedyDrama
Jiang Chen-bo is a loser without prospects for success, until a surprise promotion becomes the catalyst for his entire family's upturn in fortune.
The Dull-Ice FlowerThe Dull-Ice Flower · 1989
The Dull-Ice Flower
★ 8.31989
MovieDramaFamily
Ku Ah-ming is a 4th grader at Chungshan Elementary School in Shuiyu Township, Taiwan. Despite being not very good in most subjects at school, he is very talented in art and has a great imagination, though most teachers don't know what he's expressing in his artwork.
Yi YiYi Yi · 2000
Yi Yi
★ 8.02000
MovieDrama
Each member of a family in Taipei asks hard questions about life's meaning as they live through everyday quandaries. NJ is morose: his brother owes him money, his mother is in a coma, his wife suffers a spiritual crisis when she finds her life a blank and his business partners make bad decisions.
The Third BridgeThe Third Bridge · 1988
The Third Bridge
★ 8.01988
MovieDrama
Beyond Beauty: Taiwan from AboveBeyond Beauty: Taiwan from Above · 2013
Beyond Beauty: Taiwan from Above
★ 7.72013
MovieDocumentary
Documenting Taiwan from an aerial perspective offering a glimpse of Taiwan's natural beauty as well as the effect of human activities and urbanization on our environment.
Song of the ExileSong of the Exile · 1990
Song of the Exile
★ 7.61990
MovieDrama
Set in the early 1970s, it tells the story of a Chinese-Japanese student who returns to her native Hong Kong after graduating from a university in London. Once she arrives back home, she and her family begin to fight, largely due to cultural and societal conflicts between her mother and herself.
Dust in the WindDust in the Wind · 1986
Dust in the Wind
★ 7.61986
MovieDramaRomance
A-yuan and A-yun are both from the small mining town of Jio-fen. They move to Taipei, where A-yuan is an apprentice by day and goes to night school, and A-yun works as a helper at a tailors. Everyone thinks they are meant for each other, and so do they. They fail to see time and fate are beyond their control.
MahjongMahjong · 1996
Mahjong
★ 7.61996
MovieComedyDrama
Amid a rapidly changing cityscape, the lives of a disparate group of swindlers, hustlers, gangsters, and expats collide, with a naive French teenager and a sensitive young local who tries to protect her caught dangerously in the middle.
A City of SadnessA City of Sadness · 1989
A City of Sadness
★ 7.51989
MovieDramaHistory
The story of a family embroiled in the "White Terror," the Kuomintang government's anti-communist political repression that was wrought on the Taiwanese people from 1947-1987.
Taipei StoryTaipei Story · 1985
Taipei Story
★ 7.51985
MovieDrama
A young woman urgently seeks to navigate the maze of contemporary Taipei and find a future. She hopes that her boyfriend Lung is the key to the future, but Lung is stuck in a past that combines baseball and traditional loyalty that leads him to squander his nest egg bailing her father out of financial trouble.
That Day, on the BeachThat Day, on the Beach · 1983
That Day, on the Beach
★ 7.51983
MovieDramaRomance
Two friends who haven't seen each other for thirteen years reunite. One is a successful concert pianist just back from a European tour and the other has just started a new business.
Hill of No ReturnHill of No Return · 1992
Hill of No Return
★ 7.41992
MovieDramaHistory
In 1920s Taiwan, Jou, a controversial woman with a tragic past, seeks to change her life after falling for a man named Che. Meanwhile, a man named Wei seeks to buy the freedom of Fumiko, a dying young woman.
All the King's MenAll the King's Men · 1983
All the King's Men
★ 7.31983
MovieActionDrama
It's the 10th century BC, the emperor is not well, and the medicines he is receiving from con artist "Immortal Li" are in reality only making him worse.
Daughter of the NileDaughter of the Nile · 1987
Daughter of the Nile
★ 7.21987
MovieDramaCrime
Lin Hsiao-yang tries to keep her family together while working as a waitress at Kentucky Fried Chicken and going to night school. With no mother and her father currently working out of town, it is up to Lin Hsiao-yang to take care of her younger siblings, who are slipping into a life of crime.
The Sandwich ManThe Sandwich Man · 1983
The Sandwich Man
★ 7.11983
MovieDrama
Composed of three separate stories, the film vividly portrays Taiwan during the cold war period when the country developed its economy with help from the United States.
Papa, Can You Hear Me Sing?Papa, Can You Hear Me Sing? · 1983
Papa, Can You Hear Me Sing?
★ 7.01983
MovieDramaMusic
A poor army veteran in Taiwan adopts a daughter. She grows up and leaves him to enter show business. When she becomes famous she shuns her father and friends.

More Like This

Andrei RublevAndrei Rublev · 1966
Andrei Rublev
★ 7.91966
MovieDramaHistory
An expansive Russian drama, this film focuses on the life of revered religious icon painter Andrei Rublev. Drifting from place to place in a tumultuous era, the peace-seeking monk eventually gains a reputation for his art. But after Rublev witnesses a brutal battle and unintentionally becomes involved, he takes a vow of silence and spends time away from his work. As he begins to ease his troubled soul, he takes steps towards becoming a painter once again.
Ben-HurBen-Hur · 1959
Ben-Hur
★ 7.91959
MovieHistoryDrama
In ancient Judea, a Jewish aristocrat opposing Roman occupation of his homeland reunites with his childhood friend, now a Roman commander — setting in motion a saga of betrayal, adventure, tragedy, revenge, and faith.
Birdman of AlcatrazBirdman of Alcatraz · 1962
Birdman of Alcatraz
★ 7.51962
MovieDramaCrime
After killing a prison guard, convict Robert Stroud faces life imprisonment in solitary confinement. Driven nearly mad by loneliness and despair, Stroud's life gains new meaning when he happens upon a helpless baby sparrow in the exercise yard and nurses it back to health. Despite having only a third grade education, Stroud goes on to become a renowned ornithologist and achieves a greater sense of freedom and purpose behind bars than most people find in the outside world.
Cinderella ManCinderella Man · 2005
Cinderella Man
★ 7.62005
MovieRomanceDrama
The true story of boxer Jim Braddock who, following his retirement in the 1930s, makes a surprise comeback in order to lift his family out of poverty.
GoodFellasGoodFellas · 1990
GoodFellas
★ 8.41990
MovieDramaCrime
The true story of Henry Hill, a half-Irish, half-Sicilian Brooklyn kid who is adopted by neighbourhood gangsters at an early age and climbs the ranks of a Mafia family under the guidance of Jimmy Conway.
The Last EmperorThe Last Emperor · 1987
The Last Emperor
★ 7.61987
MovieDramaHistory
A dramatic history of Pu Yi, the last of the Emperors of China, from his lofty birth and brief reign in the Forbidden City, the object of worship by half a billion people; through his abdication, his decline and dissolute lifestyle; his exploitation by the invading Japanese, and finally to his obscure existence as just another peasant worker in the People's Republic.
GandhiGandhi · 1982
Gandhi
★ 7.61982
MovieDramaHistory
In the early years of the 20th century, Mohandas K. Gandhi, a British-trained lawyer, forsakes all worldly possessions to take up the cause of Indian independence. Faced with armed resistance from the British government, Gandhi adopts a policy of 'passive resistance', endeavouring to win freedom for his people without resorting to bloodshed.
BasquiatBasquiat · 1996
Basquiat
★ 6.61996
MovieDramaHistory
The brief life of Jean Michel Basquiat, a world renowned New York street artist struggling with fame, drugs and his identity.
The Last SamuraiThe Last Samurai · 2003
The Last Samurai
★ 7.62003
MovieDramaAction
Nathan Algren is an American hired to instruct the Japanese army in the ways of modern warfare, which finds him learning to respect the samurai and the honorable principles that rule them. Pressed to destroy the samurai's way of life in the name of modernization and open trade, Algren decides to become an ultimate warrior himself and to fight for their right to exist.
SissiSissi · 1955
Sissi
★ 7.31955
MovieComedyDrama
The young Bavarian princess Elisabeth, who all call Sissi, goes with her mother and older sister Néné to Austria where Néné will be wed to an emperor named Franz Joseph, Yet unexpectedly Franz runs into Sissi while out fishing and they fall in love.
Sissi: The Young EmpressSissi: The Young Empress · 1956
Sissi: The Young Empress
★ 7.01956
MovieDramaComedy
Sissi is now the empress of Austria and attempts to learn etiquette. While she is busy being empress she also has to deal with her difficult new mother-in-law, while the arch-duchess Sophie is trying to tell the emperor how to rule and also Sissi how to be a mother.
Sissi: The Fateful Years of an EmpressSissi: The Fateful Years of an Empress · 1957
Sissi: The Fateful Years of an Empress
★ 7.11957
MovieRomanceDrama
After a wonderful time in Hungary Sissi falls extremely ill and must retreat to a Mediterranean climate to rest. The young empress’ mother takes her from Austria to recover in Madeira.
Erin BrockovichErin Brockovich · 2000
Erin Brockovich
★ 7.42000
MovieDrama
A twice-divorced mother of three who sees an injustice, takes on the bad guy and wins -- with a little help from her push-up bra. Erin goes to work for an attorney and comes across medical records describing illnesses clustered in one nearby town. She starts investigating and soon exposes a monumental cover-up.
The English PatientThe English Patient · 1996
The English Patient
★ 7.11996
MovieDramaRomance
In the 1930s, Count Almásy is a Hungarian map maker employed by the Royal Geographical Society to chart the vast expanses of the Sahara Desert along with several other prominent explorers. As World War II unfolds, Almásy enters into a world of love, betrayal, and politics.
The Birth of a NationThe Birth of a Nation · 1915
The Birth of a Nation
★ 5.91915
MovieDramaHistory
Two families, abolitionist Northerners the Stonemans and Southern landowners the Camerons, intertwine. When Confederate colonel Ben Cameron is captured in battle, nurse Elsie Stoneman petitions for his pardon. In Reconstruction-era South Carolina, Cameron founds the Ku Klux Klan, battling Elsie's congressman father and his African-American protégé, Silas Lynch.
Catch Me If You CanCatch Me If You Can · 2002
Catch Me If You Can
★ 8.02002
MovieDramaCrime
A true story about Frank Abagnale Jr. who, before his 19th birthday, successfully conned millions of dollars worth of checks as a Pan Am pilot, doctor, and legal prosecutor. An FBI agent makes it his mission to put him behind bars. But Frank not only eludes capture, he revels in the pursuit.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter