Time Still Turns the Pages (2023) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Yau-kit takes his own life after convinced his family will leave for California without him. His father Chi-hung has been increasingly harsh, even stating he has given up on Yau-kit. When his brother Yau-chun casually says he will bring back souvenirs from the trip, Yau-kit interprets this as confirmation that he will be abandoned. The cumulative pressure from academic failure, harsh punishment, and perceived abandonment becomes unbearable.

Foreshadowing: Earlier scenes show Yau-kit sitting alone on the rooftop, mirroring the opening scene where an adult sits despondently on a condo rooftop.

• yau-kit suicide
• child suicide
• family abandonment
• academic pressure

The teacher Cheng is revealed to be Cheng Yau-chun, the older brother who survived. Decades after his brother Yau-kit's suicide, Yau-chun became a teacher under the name Cheng, presumably using a variation of his family name. He has carried the guilt of not protecting his brother and has been estranged from his father Chi-hung for years.

Foreshadowing: The opening rooftop scene shows a child dreaming of becoming a teacher, hinting at Yau-kit's wish that Yau-chun later fulfills.

• cheng identity
• yau-chun
• teacher reveal
• twist

Chi-hung lies about Yau-kit's death, telling everyone it was an illness rather than suicide, likely to protect the family's reputation and avoid the stigma surrounding suicide. This lie also prevents the family from openly addressing the psychological factors that led to the tragedy, instead burying the truth and allowing guilt to fester unaddressed.

Foreshadowing: The father shows unusual calm when saying he has given up on Yau-kit, hinting at his tendency to avoid emotional confrontation.

• chi-hung lie
• cause of death
• family secret
• cover-up

Yau-chun becomes a teacher to honor his brother Yau-kit's dream. In the opening scene, young Yau-kit sits on a rooftop dreaming of becoming a teacher someday. After Yau-kit's death, Yau-chun decides to pursue that dream as a way to keep his brother's memory alive and to potentially help students in a system that failed his brother.

Foreshadowing: The film opens with Yau-kit on the rooftop expressing his dream of teaching, which directly motivates Yau-chun's career choice.

• yau-chun teacher
• become teacher
• brother's dream
• motivation

Heidi, the mother, becomes overwhelmed by grief following Yau-kit's suicide and eventually leaves the family. The tragedy, combined with Chi-hung's decision to lie about the cause of death and the overall family dynamics that contributed to the pressure on Yau-kit, proves too much for her to bear.

Foreshadowing: Heidi is shown offering comfort and a Disneyland reward to Yau-kit, contrasting with the father's harshness, making her eventual departure more emotionally impactful.

• heidi leaves
• mother leaves
• family breakdown
• grief

The diary becomes a central symbol of Yau-kit's attempt to improve academically after advice from an educator. After Yau-kit's death, his diary passes to Yau-chun, who continues writing in it. Before dying, Chi-hung gives the diary to Yau-chun, who then entrusts it to his estranged wife Sherry, hoping she can share the family's story through her radio drama program.

Foreshadowing: Yau-kit starts diary writing specifically after hearing a respected educator recommend it as a language learning tool.

• diary
• yau-kit diary
• family history
• radio drama

Cheng (Yau-chun) has not spoken to his father Chi-hung for years due to the unresolved trauma of Yau-kit's death. Both father and son carry deep guilt, Chi-hung for his harsh treatment and lies, Yau-chun for not reaching out to his brother in time. Their estrangement represents the family's broken communication that has persisted since the tragedy.

Foreshadowing: The flashback shows the tension between Chi-hung and Yau-kit, with Yau-chun caught in the middle, establishing the fractured family dynamic.

• estranged father
• chi-hung relationship
• family conflict
• guilt

The discovery of the suicide note in Cheng's classroom triggers his investigation and mirrors the past tragedy. Just as Yau-kit wrote about his despair, a current student has written a similar note. This parallel motivates Cheng to take action, unlike when he was a child who couldn't save his brother, he now actively works to identify and help at-risk students.

Foreshadowing: The note's discovery happens early in the present-day timeline, setting up the thematic connection to the past suicide.

• suicide note
• present day
• parallel
• student safety

After reconciling with his dying father, Chi-hung passes away. Cheng leaves his phone number with students on graduation day, offering a lifeline to those struggling. The film ends hopefully when Cheng receives a text from the student who wrote the suicide note, seeking counseling. This closing moment suggests the cycle of silence and tragedy may finally be breaking.

Foreshadowing: Cheng's decision to leave his contact information directly contrasts with the past, where no adult intervention saved Yau-kit.

• ending
• graduation
• text message
• hope
• counseling

The title refers to how the past continues to shape the present through memory, guilt, and unresolved trauma. Time does not erase the events or their consequences, Yau-kit's death continues to affect the family decades later. Yet the title also suggests possibility: time allows for reconciliation, healing, and new chapters, as shown when Cheng finally confronts his father and a student reaches out for help.

Foreshadowing: The non-linear narrative literally shows time turning between past and present, with each timeline influencing the other.

• title meaning
• theme
• healing
• time
• reconciliation