Yi Yi (2000)

Director: Edward Yang
Stars: Wu Nianzhen, Elaine Jin, Issei Ogata
Runtime: 173 minutes

Synopsis: Each member of a middle-class Taipei family seeks to reconcile past and present relationships within their daily lives.

Verdict: *minor spoiler in the final paragraph*

Oh Edward Yang, what have you done to me? I’m literally at a loss for words after finally committing to your masterpiece that is “Yi Yi”, a movie that I have quite frankly put off for many years now due to its intimidating runtime of 3 hours. For that, I must apologize, because every second of your gem was a delicious treat filled to the brim with human emotions. Emotions that hit my fragile soul like a speeding bus, leaving it shattered as the end credits started rolling following what may be simultaneously one of the most heartwarming and heartbreaking scenes in the history of Cinema.

The beauty of “Yi Yi” comes from its simplicity to tell the most complex story anyone’s ever experienced: life itself. Through the point of view of a three-generational family, we witness the circle of life in full effect as we go through the days of the many characters that constitute its core. From the innocence of childhood to the constraints of adulthood, Yang does a phenomenal job juggling between the countless themes displayed without it ever feeling overwhelming. I smiled at the shenanigans pulled by the young Yang-Yang, shuddered at the blossoming of his older sister Ting-Ting who was experiencing her very first love, and was saddened to see their father NJ realize how asphyxiating and unhealthy his work was as an old flame resurfaced into his life. It was a literal roller coaster of emotions, one in which I felt both trapped and liberated at the same time because, in many ways, the movie was about me. And about you. And about pretty much anyone who watches it.

“Yi Yi” conveniently (and I’m certain purposely) opens at a wedding and concludes at a funeral, making the film itself an allegory for life as these two social occasions best represent birth and death respectively. I am truly in awe at how rewarding the watch was despite some initial concerns about the number of characters it featured. If you haven’t seen it, I urge you to make it a priority.  

FINAL GRADE: 9/10