The Jian family are living in present day Taipei. The father, NJ, is a business man who bumps into former lover Sherry. His son Yang-Yang has trouble at school with teachers and girls, and uses his fathers camera to take photographs. His daughter Ting-Ting tries to date the boyfriend of the girl next door, his brother-in-law has money problems and his stepmother is in a coma after a stroke. The film follows them, through their every day lives, as they contemplate life.
Not only is 'Yi Yi' Edward Yang's most famous and revered work, but it is also his last film, before he died in 2007 aged 59. It's my second time watching, and I admit that I forgot how much of a wonderful film this is. The run-time is three hours
'Yi Yi' is an example of what a soap opera could be like, if it was perfect in every way possible. The story follows each separate family member as they experience love, loss and life. The audience experiences this at a distance, with shots ranging from medium-long shots, to shots where the camera is out of the room. There are few cuts, allowing the actors to express their characters to the utmost perfection. They are techniques that have been used before ('The Travelling Players', 'A City of Sadness'), but feel most welcome in this existential and peaceful character study.
Films like this rely on good acting, which there is an abundance of. Nien-Jen Wu portrays the "bored of life" father/business man perfectly. He wrote the screenplays for many of Hou Hsiao-Hsien films, so it appears that he is generally excellent at everything. All of the cast captivates the audience, especially Jonathan Yang who plays Yang-Yang and Kelly Lee who plays Ting-Ting. They act so well, it feels like we are actually looking into the lives of real people.
Everything about the film, from the visuals to the acting captivates the audience, and is even better the second time watching.
TO CONCLUDE
A simple and beautiful film. 3 hours of peaceful perfection.
SCORE
84
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