Yi Yi

Masterpiece movie, a quiet meditation on the meaning of life, passing of time, family drama, need for communication, life, death. A movie that flows so natural, it switches to each members of a middle-classed Taiwanese family, capturing the beauty of life, through the surprises they will encounter every day.

Yesterday was my grandma’s 90th birthday and we’re all celebrating it at lunch today. I had no idea what this movie was about but it somehow happened that after having it on my watchlist for months I finally watched it across these two days.

“We live three times as long since man invented movies,” might mean that we get to live other people’s lives through the images on screen, but I think what it actually means is that, through movies, we just learn to live our own life three times as intensely. Happy birthday, grandma ❤

This entire film is kind of mundane in most aspects, but that's also what makes it so personal. You get to peer through a screen to see the lives of one family, the ups and downs of just a sliver of their entire existence. While it may seem like the characters don't really change between the start and the end of the movie, you as the viewer know that their individual experiences throughout have changed them and helped them grow. Whether it's a father who's already lived quite a life or a young child just starting theirs, it's just captivating to see what they're dealing with in their "mundane" lives.

Yi Yi is a film of stunning visual beauty, narrative depth, and quiet reflection. For someone unfamiliar with Edward Yang’s work, its complexity and beauty can be an unexpected revelation. Yang’s mastery of framing, light, and color is unmatched, but what truly stands out is how he weaves these elements with a deeper understanding of life’s intricacies.

At first glance, Yi Yi feels like a calm and serene film—a work by a director who has let go of youthful anger and found inner peace. However, a closer look reveals a much more layered experience. Yang masterfully balances a wide range of emotions, never letting one overshadow the others.

What makes Yi Yi truly remarkable is how it captures a universal feeling: that despite differences in culture, time, or place, you’re witnessing something entirely unique. At its core, the film is about the search for connection, understanding, and meaning in life’s chaotic yet poetic rhythm. It doesn’t provide easy answers but instead invites you to reflect on your own relationships and experiences.

Mundane, but exquisite. Small, but epic. Breathtaking beauty throughout its run, with so many carefully drawn characters that felt so specific yet also universal. I loved the use of perspective-taking throughout, with hints of other universes peeking into the corners of every frame. Nearly perfect movie for me.

After the unbearable snoozefest that was A Brighter Summer’s Day i was hesitant about watching this. I was fully expecting another dull, bloated film.

How wrong I was. It’s a masterpiece. A quietly devastating work full of pathos.

It reminds me of the Henry David Thoreau quote - ‘the mass of men live lives of quiet desperation’. This is present in every scene.

Visually it’s not the most exciting, opting for a more subtle style. Some nice shots shot through windows where we cant see the characters talking because of the reflection of the city in the glass, giving us a ‘behind closed doors’ feel.

Fully deserving of all the praised heaped upon it.

Recommend it to anyone who has lived enough years to know that life is filled with suffering.

9/10

Yi Yi unfolds like a slow, meandering stream, flowing through the lives of a Taiwanese family. We are unaware of where the stream begins or ends, but as we walk alongside on the sandy banks, we catch brief reflections of the back of our own heads.

A slow and warm story of daily life.

I had high expectations after seeing all the praise. I'm disappointed.

I like movies about life itself (I recently rewatched Boyhood for the third time) but I didn't find any of these characters interesting and worth following for 3 hours. I also had trouble telling them apart.

Touching ending, though.