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Yi Yi

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Yi Yi

Released May 14, 2000

2h 53m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

97%

Tomatometer

89 Reviews

91%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Set in Taiwan, the film follows the lives of the Jian family from the alternating perspectives of the three main family members: father N.J. (Nien-Jen Wu), teenage daughter Ting-Ting (Elaine Jin) and young son Yang-Yang (Issei Ogata). N.J., disgruntled with his current job, attempts to court the favor of a prominent video game company while Ting-Ting and Yang-Yang contend with the various trials of youth, all while caring for N.J.'s mother-in-law, who lies in a coma.

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Critics Consensus

In its depiction of one family, Yi Yi accurately and expertly captures the themes and details, as well as the beauty, of everyday life.

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Kristen Yoonsoo Kim

Brooklyn Magazine

I felt like I had lived it, and not just because of its nearly three-hour runtime.

May 1, 2017

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David Ansen

Newsweek

Yang takes the long view, transforming the ingredients of family melodrama into a serene, generous, comic vision of our tangled urban lives.

Mar 31, 2008

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Geoff Pevere

Toronto Star

Life-affirming in the most genuine, respectful and least mechanical sense.

May 21, 2001

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Susan Sontag

Artforum

Is Yang as great as Hou Hsiao-hsien? Well, he’s different. See this.

May 2, 2024

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Sean Burns

WBUR’s Arts & Culture

One of those movies so emotionally expansive that while watching it you feel like it might contain the whole of human experience.

Mar 28, 2024

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Wael Khairy

The Cinephile Fix

Yang has graced us with a thought-provoking film about the uncertainties awaiting us in the span of a lifetime.

Apr 20, 2023

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Hao Ian L

What's special about Yi Yi is that everyone, more or less, sees their own reflections here, the film doesn't rely on dramatic plot twists or flashy visuals, instead, its beauty lies in the subtle observations of life's small joys and heartbreaks. It's a film that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit, the enduring power of love, and the bittersweet beauty of fleeting moments.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/01/24

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Johnathon W

Superb if overly long family drama, interacting an extended family and their trials. The cast is superb across the board while director Yang inter connects them beautifully and in surprising ways, from a wedding to a kid with a camera. However, at three hours, it is a bit too long and could have benefited from being cut down a bit. Overall, one of the better family dramas in recent years.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/15/23

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James S

An extraordinary, beautifully paced drama that earns it's intimidating run time. The cinematography is a love letter to urban Taipei and no frame appears to have been left to chance. One or two scene transitions were a little jarring (what are we to think when an unsupervised eight year old jumps into a swimming pool and struggles, only for the scene to end seconds later and cut to two different characters?) but the film is thick with carefully considered moments of joy, tenderness, humour and drama. Each character is able to show us at least a little of their inner-workings. It was a rare joy to follow the numerous ups and downs of the Jian family and I gladly shed a tear during the final scene.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/19/23

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Leaburn O

Jeez that was loooong and dull. Some interesting observations on love and life but quite why they took three hours to draw out is beyond me. Not the classic it's made out to be.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

07/18/23

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Tim S

Instantly became one of my favourites. Excited to watch more of the director's films.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/08/23

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Shiven K

Yi Yi is one of the best family dramas ever made, it's a unique swan song of great framing and cinematography and subtle performances. I implore everyone to watch this as it shows a family, their lives and their cultures.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/18/23

Full Review

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Edward Yang

Director

Nien-Jen Wu

N.J.

Elaine Jin

Min-Min

Issei Ogata

Ota

Kelly Lee

Ting-Ting

Jonathan Chang

Yang-Yang

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Synopsis

Set in Taiwan, the film follows the lives of the Jian family from the alternating perspectives of the three main family members: father N.J. (Nien-Jen Wu), teenage daughter Ting-Ting (Elaine Jin) and young son Yang-Yang (Issei Ogata). N.J., disgruntled with his current job, attempts to court the favor of a prominent video game company while Ting-Ting and Yang-Yang contend with the various trials of youth, all while caring for N.J.'s mother-in-law, who lies in a coma.

Director: Edward Yang
Producer: Shinya Kawai, Osamu Kunota, Naoko Tsukeda
Screenwriter: Edward Yang
Distributor: Winstar Cinema
Production Co: Nemuru Otoko Seisaku Iinkai, AtomFilms, Pony Canyon Inc., Omega Project
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Chinese
Release Date (Theaters): May 14, 2000, Original
Release Date (DVD): May 8, 2001
Box Office (Gross USA): $969.1K
Runtime: 2h 53m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby SR, Dolby Digital

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