Wu Nien-jen’s directorial debut is an intimate yet epic tale of a Taiwanese working class family that extends from Taiwan’s independence, following decades of Japanese occupation, in the 1950s to the 1980s. The film’s Chinese-language title is “Father,” and its protagonist is modeled on Wu’s own father. Relations within the family are rocky, with poverty putting a strain on the parents’ marriage and the father’s Japanese upbringing adding to the generation gap between him and his son. Wu’s tender tribute to the frequently overlooked generation of the occupation is echoed in Hou Hsiao-hsien’s City of Sadness, which was co-scripted by Wu. While the style of A Borrowed Life may remind viewers of Hou—including long takes, the dearth of close-ups, the use of nonprofessional actors—the film’s tone is much more emotional, even as the restrained style keeps the film from sentimentality.