Very contemplative film, with a hook that is both it's strength and weakness. By spreading its focus across 5 characters it manages to hit an awful lot of points that mostly mesh together well into a lyrical treatise on life. It spreads itself a little thin, though, which makes it feel a tad long and kept me from connecting to any of the characters. At a different point in my life maybe I'll consider this a masterpiece, but at the moment it's just a wonderful but not quite great movie.

Stunning and original camerawork. Great writing (I especially loved the scenes between the father and the almost otherworldly Japanese businessman). I was definitely hooked.

It's all so simple. I've decided that's why I love it.

A beautifully made and observed family drama set in Taipei. Reminiscent of Ozu in its grace, compassion and melancholy.

446

Yang's heartfelt chronicle of a Taiwanese family and their daily struggles is one of those films that sticks with you long after viewing. Its style and tone are clearly influenced by the familial dramas of Yasujiro Ozu, and the film radiates with a simple beauty that subtly pulls the viewer in without their knowledge. By the time Yi Yi has reached its conclusion, we know and love these characters-- not because a narrative dictates as much-- but because we ARE them. Outstanding cinema.

After three hours of solid boredom, I picked up the disc and snapped it in two. It cost me $5 to replace it for the video shop, but it was so worth it. Every frame of this shit-long film tears my diodes to pieces with boredom. I will never watch anything by Edward Why-Do-I-Have-An-English-First-Name Yang ever again. Yang is just a pale imitation of my favourite Asian director, Hsiao-hsien Hou.

Actually it's not the greatest movie. I have to give it a high score because I used to wear the same school uniform and have the same backpack!!! !! But it does feel like it hits you on the head with stuff and the lines do feel pretty, uhhhh, fake? I don't think you're allowed to do that in a slice-of-life movie. But, anyway, it looked great and it was pretty damn enjoyable. Watching the little boy eat at McDonald's made me: ^_^

Yang's magnum opus. What a more fitting way to end such an illustrious career.

Captures so many facets of humanity beautifully.

Good but problematic in its ponderous nature which leaves us thinking what the big deal was. The drama at times felt a tad contrived especially the romantic side stories. This film is still masterfully shot and told in such a way that it doesn't completely miss the mark. There are times where we feel like a sympathetic voyeur watching the family's life unfold through the security cameras or lingering in the doorways. We see their lives up close and intimately but it's never invasive.

really couldn't get into this one...

"A humanistic masterwork." - Ed Gonzalez

Yang doesn't set out to make some overarching statement about Life or anything like that - he just manages the feat of making the characters on screen feel like real people, minimizing the barrier between film and audience (despite his compositional brilliance and the gorgeous soundtrack) and allowing us to enter into their lives over the course of a few weeks. This is both simple and unassuming, and in its own way wildly ambitious; what results is something very profound.

Touching film that displays a deep understanding of humanity. The film plays out like a cross between Ozu and Robert Altman, with the light touch that only Asian cinema seems to present, and the accessible use of an ensemble cast. A moving, beautiful experience.

"Incredibly profound." That is, perhaps, an understatement.

#321

se for pra fazer ficção, que seja assim...

This film's construction feels almost effortless, with seams well hidden in the tangled lives that it portrays. These lives are not alluring, but they seem full, and the small pieces of happiness are that much more important in contrast to the ambivalence and sadness around them. I can't pick out a moment that moved me, and yet at the end of the film I find myself moved, and that is the sign of a great magician.

Beautiful and remarkably human. It's reaffirming of life's simplicity and natural grace.

# 569

It manages to stay subtle and interesting, but to be honest I don't quite see this as the masterpiece some people make it out to be. I didn't really care for the daughter's storyline. I did enjoy the father character and the way he develops. The film is a strong investigation of a family with a lot of depth to it.

Sad, poor, boring, Chinamen!

Incredible performances by Wu Nianzhen and Johnathan Chang -- especially the final scene (although I thought some of the female characters were a bit over-the-top). The individual family member's lives were woven together very cleverly, and I liked the subtle atmosphere and pacing. However, I think that the focus was a bit unbalanced in spots, leaving me wanting to see more of certain characters and less of others.

07 Nisan 08, atlas2 sira4 koltuk1, 16:00, 27.ist. film festivali. & ozur dileyerek itiraf ediyorum ki, bitmeden ciktigim tek film.ilk basta yonetmene ve emege olan saygimdan kalmak istedim fakat uyudugumu farkedince bunun ve o salonda kalmanin daha fazla saygisizlik oldugunu dusundum.film, bir suru olay, karakter isliyor ve bence gercekten agir, uzun bir film.ileride bu filmi ozellikle tekrardan, daha sakin kafayala izleyecegim (bu filmden once 2 film daha izlemistim) soz veriyorum sana yang.