Arts Studies and Criticism

Times Still Turns the Pages (2023) is a feature film directed by Hong Kong director Zhuo Yiqian and produced by Er Dongsheng. The film received five nominations at the 60th Golden Horse Awards and was shortlisted for the World Focus Unit at the 36th Tokyo International Film Festival. The story begins with an unclaimed anonymous suicide note, triggering middle school teacher Zheng Sir’s search for the story behind the suicide note. This search process evoked the painful memory of his brother’s suicide when he was young, allowing him to re-face the trauma deep in his heart. Through this story, the film reveals the family, campus and social issues behind the phenomenon of teenage suicide. On a deeper level, it explores the short life span of a damaged soul and how the living carry trauma and heal themselves. The film explores how people face, understand and deal with trauma, and raises the possibility of rebuilding the ruins of the soul through love and telling.