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Yi Yi

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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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Yi Yi

Yi Yi

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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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Critics Reviews

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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 Full Review 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 Full Review Geoff Pevere Toronto Star Life-affirming in the most genuine, respectful and least mechanical sense. May 21, 2001 Full Review Susan Sontag Artforum Is Yang as great as Hou Hsiao-hsien? Well, he’s different. See this. May 2, 2024 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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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 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Full Review Yuvraj C A very tender movie about 3 generations of a family living in suburbs of Taipei and their day to day like which is minutely portrayed to details by Yang. Edward Yang's best film along with 'A Brighter Summer Day'. People living in metropolitan will definitely feel they have seen these people in the neighborhood or feel related to their own life. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/26/22 Full Review Read all reviews
Yi Yi

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Cast & Crew

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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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Yi Yi

Elaine Jin as Min-Min and Jonathan Chang as Yang-Yang. Jonathan Chang as Yang-Yang. Elaine Jin as Min-Min and Jonathan Chang as Yang-Yang. Yi Yi (2000) View more photos

Movie Info

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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