Legendary musicians of the 1970s Taiwanese folk-rock scene reunite after 40 years for a big concert. Will their songs move the younger generation? Ode to Time captures the past and current lives of the musicians, intermingling social themes like the China-Taiwan relationship and the influence of American culture. One sings about the aboriginal soul, another goes on stage despite being ill. Surprising parallels in the Taiwanese and Japanese pop scenes are revealed. Director Hou Chi-jan is known for Juliet’s Choice from the omnibus film Juliets and When a Wolf Falls in Love with a Sheep.

After four decades, a group of veteran singers gather together again. The songs they wrote when they were young had once changed the fate of the island. However, time took away their youth and changed the island’s soul. Not only a new national identity has formed but so many new musical genres have emerged since then. Can the innocent songs they sang back in the old days still be relevant in the new era? Or could they speak for only the souls of a particular generation? On that memorable night in hn history, the veteran singers are re-united and sing those beautiful songs they wrote forty years ago. The unpredictability of life, the cruelty of fate and the complicated relations between Taiwan and China are gradually revealed in their singing.

[Director's Message]
In the history of Taiwanese popular music and culture, folk songs were wake-up calls in the search for one’s identity. In comparison with the “history” of the folk songs, I preferred to document those who wrote these songs in their youth. When shooting the film, I wanted to see whether they still missed the songs, whether they were still passionate about writing and composing, and whether they remained as innocent as they were when it came to their attitudes towards life. I hope that this documentary feels like a postcard sent to these songs, memories and lives four decades later.