Yang Yang (2009)
21KYang Yang (2009). 1h 52m
“I almost missed seeing this movie at a recent film festival because the organizers didnu0026#39;t classify it as Chinese. That is essentially what u0026quot;Yang Yangu0026quot; is about: the problem of Taiwanese identity. Other Taiwanese directors have wrestled with this theme, for example, Hou Hsiao-hsien in u0026quot;Three Timesu0026quot; and u0026quot;Millenium Mambo,u0026quot; or Tsai Ming-liang in u0026quot;The Holeu0026quot; and u0026quot;What Time Is It There?u0026quot; or Yee Chih-yen in u0026quot;Blue Gate Crossing,u0026quot; or even Ang Lee in u0026quot;Lust, Caution,u0026quot; and, if you squint at it, u0026quot;The Hulk.u0026quot; Like these movies, u0026quot;Yang Yangu0026quot; portrays a set of trials that are so immediate and insoluble, and shot at such unpleasant proximity, that my first reaction was to try to distance myself from what I was seeing. But the acting is so good, and the symbolism is so intelligent, and the story is so universal, that u0026quot;Yang Yangu0026quot; made me realize that Taiwanu0026#39;s problems are everybodyu0026#39;s problems, and instead of dragging through a typical Bildungsroman I left the theater exalted. 9/10. With haunting music by Lim Giong.”
