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Yi Yi

Name: Yi Yi
Genre: Drama, Romance, Music
Released: October 6, 2000
Duration: 173 min
Rating: 93
Cast: Nien-Jen Wu

2000

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 25 Critics

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USER SCORE

Universal acclaim based on 78 Ratings

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8.4

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8.4	Your Score
8.4	User Score Universal acclaim based on 78 Ratings

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Yi Yi: A One And A Two

Movie Details & Credits

WinStar Cinema | Release Date: October 6, 2000 | Not Rated

Starring: Nien-Jen Wu

Summary: This film portrays life through portraits of the individual members of a Taiwanese family, each representing a stage from birth to death. [WinStar Cinema]

Director: Edward Yang

Genre(s): Drama, Romance, Music

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 173 min

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Awards & Rankings

2	#2 Best Movie of 2000
28	#28 Most Discussed Movie of 2000
21	#21 Most Shared Movie of 2000

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Critic Reviews

100

San Francisco Chronicle Edward Guthmann

Wise, delicate and impeccably performed, Yi Yi is a three- hour drama that looks at one middle-class family in transition -- and does so with such a kind and probing eye that we all see our lives reflected through Yang's lens. Read full review

100

Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington

Great, bittersweet family drama. Read full review

100

Salon Charles Taylor

Quietly overwhelming. Read full review

Film.com David D'Arcy

More than a family saga, this is a family meditation. Read full review

L.A. Weekly Manohla Dargis

Generous, soulful film. Read full review

Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey

It may be the first meditative action movie. Read full review

New York Post Jonathan Foreman

Presents an intelligent, profound and at times heartrending slice of Taiwanese middle-class existence - as seen by characters at different stages of life. Read full review

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User Reviews

joomjim4

Jun 18, 2012

"The Bible" in the world of film. So many things went wrong in the story of this movie but not a thing that has went wrong in this precious achievement from Edward Yang. The film examines the complexity of the universal themes of guilt and loneliness that "every" human has to face. Life is"The Bible" in the world of film. So many things went wrong in the story of this movie but not a thing that has went wrong in this precious achievement from Edward Yang. The film examines the complexity of the universal themes of guilt and loneliness that "every" human has to face. Life is simple, but it is the profundity that truly constructs the beauty of our life. There might not be something as "future" but only the past- as a lesson and the present to study, tomorrow is only there..waiting to be present time. YiYi A One And A Two is a film full of emotions of our daily life. It reflects those most ordinary circumstances and successfully doubled the meanings and importance through the image which shows the side that ourselves would not be able to confront or even realize. The film that has changed my whole perspective of life.… Expand

3 of 3 users found this helpful30

JeffC.

Sep 23, 2007

Nicest movie I've seen in years. Very real, very human and interesting.

0 of 1 users found this helpful

JoshT.

Sep 17, 2005

The best movie I've ever seen. Anyone who didn't like it, I'm sorry to say, probably didn't have the intellectual aptitude for it.

0 of 0 users found this helpful

Tcurran2

Mar 11, 2018

The word "masterpiece" is thrown around so often in our cultural milieau that it has become trite. Yi Yi is anything but that. In writing this review, I find myself struggling for the words to describe its profundity. Ernest Hemingway once said that the hardest thing to do is to writeThe word "masterpiece" is thrown around so often in our cultural milieau that it has become trite. Yi Yi is anything but that. In writing this review, I find myself struggling for the words to describe its profundity. Ernest Hemingway once said that the hardest thing to do is to write "straight honest prose about human beings." Yi Yi doesn't write those words, it shows us with each forlorn character isolated in the frame, alone with their thoughts. Those thoughts consume them as they ponder their anxieties that come with their middle class existence - lover's quarrels, social ostracization, etc. Edward Yang's (this would be his final film before his death) use of vibrant contrasts in color are seemingly antithetical to the minimalist approach of Yasujiro Ozu, yet the film is reminiscent of the humanism that could be found in that master director's work, such as in Tokyo Story (1953). Divided only by age, the characters in this film all want for the same thing - life, love, and the pursuit of happiness. However, they cannot see how their shared experiences relate to one another. Their inner focus on the self is a product of an individualistic narcissism that permeates every aspect of modern society. But it's easy enough to try and interpret what Yang was trying to express. Harder still is it to look at those images, as it reflects our own experiences back onto us. In the end you'll weep. Not solely because the ending's emotional weight carries such an immense impact, but because you'll know that you have likely experienced what these characters have gown through, and didn't know how to express it. Yang has done it for you. You need only to watch - and learn.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

JimG.

Jun 24, 2006

It took me at least three sittings to watch this movie. Though some suggest it "just" captures everyday life, I suggest it captures life justly--the complexity of each day of each character is as dense, shallow, intriguing, or boring as one wants to make it. Maybe that explains why the It took me at least three sittings to watch this movie. Though some suggest it "just" captures everyday life, I suggest it captures life justly--the complexity of each day of each character is as dense, shallow, intriguing, or boring as one wants to make it. Maybe that explains why the ratings here are 1's and 10's. How many viewers does it take to be changed? Just one. But the viewer has to want to change.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful

KimW

Feb 6, 2009

I watched this movie in chunks in a Chinese class. Overall, it is a wonderfully moving movie. As a teenager, I find this movie a bit slow. This movie may be too slow for most teenagers used to action movies like Dark Knight. The stories of the different family members are common, but unique I watched this movie in chunks in a Chinese class. Overall, it is a wonderfully moving movie. As a teenager, I find this movie a bit slow. This movie may be too slow for most teenagers used to action movies like Dark Knight. The stories of the different family members are common, but unique to each of them. It captures all parts of life, and has the most adorable little boy being the curious and wise little kid. I do find that some of the questions asked in the movie a little "forced", and Yang was maybe trying to be too deep. All in all, a great movie. If anything, watch the very last scene.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful

MichaelS.

Feb 24, 2006

Slow. Drab. Melodramatic. The stuff of soap operas condensed into a lugubrious mess of a movie. The occasional flash of brilliance in scene setting is wasted on dull, occasionally emotionally manipulative (but strangely uncompelling) storytelling.

0 of 2 users found this helpful

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