One of the founding members of the New Taiwanese Cinema movement that sprung up on the island in the early 1980s, Edward Yang was responsible for some of the best examples to emerge from this revolutionary era. Yi Yi (aka A One and a Two…) from 2000 is perhaps the best-known of the director’s films, and also proved to be his last, as Yang died in 2007.
The film follows one year in the life of a large, middle-class Taiwanese family, charting events in minute, unobtrusive detail so the viewer must slowly piece together a picture of these characters through their daily interactions. The film begins with a marriage and ends with a funeral, but in between there are births, deaths, infidelities, heartbreaks and all manner of daily dramas to contend with.
Among the many characters is NJ, played by Taiwanese Cinema pioneer Wu Nienjen, an unsuccessful businessman who flirts with a potential affair after a chance meeting with his high school sweetheart. While his daughter experiences the highs and lows of her first relationship, his young son casts an innocent eye over the world, through the viewfinder of his new camera. Narrative isn’t the most important element of Yang’s filmmaking, but rather the ability to stand back and observe day-to-day life from a distance, capturing a greater truth by allowing the characters simply to be themselves.
Until now I had only seen one other of Yang’s film, The Terrorizers from 1986, which – truth be told – I had found to be something of a struggle. Yi Yi was certainly a more enjoyable viewing experience, and has encouraged me to explore more of the director’s films. A Brighter Summer Day is apparently Yang’s other great work, but with a running time of 4 hours, I may need to wait a while before diving in.
