An immersive experience which uses the construct of family to explore the human condition itself. Exposes the facade of control we place on adulthood vs. our formative years, revealing in many ways the circular nature of experience, one in which the anarchy of day-to-day provides ample opportunity for growth, pain, tragedy, and triumph. In many ways the film is an affront to the notion of "growing up", exhibiting this socially constructed deception of control we place in our consciousness as a way to cope with the oscillations of life. The trials and tribulations of a middle class family in Taiwan is a tool employed by Yang to examine the rapid globalization caused by neoliberalism, touching on the despondence enacted by a world in which growth on a macro level supplants all else, including dignity or sincerity which is so important to the individual on a micro level. Formally, Yang has never been better, with the city itself being a reflective device for our character's internal ruminations - both figuratively and literally. The cityscapes of Taipei - its reflective window panes and enclaves of office buildings and residential units - evoke this sense of melancholy felt through three generations. A film of tonal multitudes - hope and despair both seem constantly at arms reach much like life itself - Yi Yi manages to never feel dreary or cynical despite its consistent strand of melancholy. Simply put, a masterpiece of cinema
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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