Details
Movie Description
Focusing on a typical family--parents, two children, and an elderly grandmother--living in a small apartment in Taipei, YI YI (A ONE AND A TWO) is about the patterns of daily life. It includes a wedding, a funeral, a first date, a last date, a birth, and a death. The film follows each member of the Jian family carefully, giving each one equal time, completely developing each character. NJ (Wu Nienjen), the father of the family, struggles with a dead-end job at a technology firm while reexamining his marriage when he meets his high school sweetheart, Sherry (Ke Suyun), after 30 years. NJ's teenage daughter, Ting-Ting (Kelly Lee), has a selfless demeanor and a naive interest in everything, which diffuses the complexity of her high school life. Her little brother, Yang-Yang (Jonathan Chang), is an adorable five-year-old troublemaker who's in love with a pesky girl in his class. And Yang-Yang's mother, Min-Min (Elaine Jin), grieves for her dying mother (Tang Runyun) while coping with her own middle age in a rapidly maturing family.
Edward Yang, director of 1991's A BRIGHTER SUMMER DAY, presents a careful, direct, meticulously photographed film with YI YI. Brassy shots of Taipei reflected in the windows of a moving car are offset with slow choreographed sequences using the streetlights to narrate little moral tales. Perhaps the most powerful gem in this film is the magical character of Mr. Ota (Issey Ogata), NJ's Japanese business associate, whose optimistic life perspective will inspire and delight YI YI's viewers.
Industry Reviews
"...[A] lovely, absorbing film....The work of a master in full command of the resources of his art..."
New York Times - pp.E1-5 - A. O. Scott
Ranked #4 in Entertainment Weekly's "Lisa Schwarzbaum's BEST MOVIES OF 2000" -- "[Chang is] natural and delightful....Profound..."
Entertainment Weekly - pp.106-17 - Lisa Schwarzbaum
"...A marvel of delicacy and humor..."
Rolling Stone - p.122 - Peter Travers
"...It's a well-acted, masterfully structured film and Yang's compassion for his characters fills every gracefully photographed frame..."
Total Film - p.101 - Tom Dawson
"...[A] wonderful film....In a film of superb ensemble work, Wu Nianzhen's performance as NJ is a standout..."
Sight and Sound - p.53-4 - Tony Rayns
"...A wise and gentle comedy of manners....YI YI investigates the entire melody of life....It's a delicate film, but a strong one, graced with the ability to see life whole..."
Los Angeles Times - Kenneth Turan (12/01/2000)
"...[A] three-hour jewel from Taiwan about a family in crisis....A must-see..."
USA Today - Mike Clark (05/18/2001)
4 stars out of 4 -- "[A] breathtaking film....Director Edward Yang eschews histrionics and melodrama to capture a far more affecting truth."
Premiere - Tim Sheridan (09/01/2006)
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