Yi Yi: A One and a Two

Starring:Nien-Jen Wu, Elaine Jin, Issei Ogata, Kelly Lee (II), Jonathan Chang, Hsi-Sheng Chen, Su-Yun Ko, Shu-shen Hsiao, Adriene Lin, Pang Chang Yu, Ru-Yun Tang, Shu-Yuan Hsu, Hsin-Yi Tseng, Yue-Lin Ko, Tang Congsheng, Yiwen Chen
Director: Edward Yang
Studio: Fox Lorber
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
A wedding and a grandmother's illness reveal fault lines in the lives of one Taipei family in Edward Yang's extraordinary film. Yi Yi is built from deceptively simple elements that together create a complex, warm, and utterly convincing portrait of family life. NJ Jian is a businessman facing bankruptcy, but he has to juggle his financial problems with family strife when his mother-in-law falls into a coma. NJ's wife, Min-Min, brings her mother home, and each family member--including daughter Ting-Ting and her delightful little brother Yang-Yang--spends hours talking to the old lady. These conversations become confessionals and the characters gradually re-evaluate their relationships. There are no catastrophic conflicts, only the ordinary, sometimes troubled, unfolding of lives. Yang enhances the film's sense of reality by frequently holding the camera back from the action. The use of long shots and unexpected angles makes it seem like the audience is eavesdropping, catching glimpses of lives passing by. Yi Yi is almost three hours long, but it flies by. Yang is both a consummate, restrained technician and a subtle director of actors. The combination is a magical one. --Simon Leake

On the DVD
The Criterion Collection's newly restored high-definition digital transfer of Edward Yang's Yi Yi is a revelation. The improvement over Fox Lorber's previous DVD release (deeply flawed and rushed into distribution in 2001, and now utterly obsolete) is so dramatic that an entire article was devoted to the subject in the New York Times, explaining the meticulous processes that went into perfecting the new DVD master for Criterion's definitive release. And while the feature-length commentary by writer-director Edward Yang and Asian-cinema critic Tony Rayns may be a bit too low-key for some listeners (because both Yang and Rayns are soft-spoken and not particularly dynamic speakers), attentive listeners will benefit greatly from their back-and-forth conversation. Yang provides in-depth insights into many aspects of Taiwanese cinema in general and Yi Yi in particular, from the hardships of distribution, competition from American films, his casting choices, explanations of specific shots, challenges and "happy accidents" during production, and various details regarding Taiwanese culture, its relation to Chinese and Japanese culture, and the familial traditions that are so affectionately explored in Yi Yi. Rayns is basically on hand to prompt Yang into making directorial observations, or to provide critical insights and observations for Yang to respond to. Both men are genial, intelligent, and articulate, so their commentary is well worth listening to for anyone interested in Asian cinema in a cultural context.

Amazon.com

A wedding and a grandmother's illness reveal fault lines in the lives of one Taipei family in Edward Yang's extraordinary film. Yi Yi is built from deceptively simple elements that together create a complex, warm, and utterly convincing portrait of family life. NJ Jian is a businessman facing bankruptcy, but he has to juggle his financial problems with family strife when his mother-in-law falls into a coma. NJ's wife, Min-Min, brings her mother home, and each family member--including daughter Ting-Ting and her delightful little brother Yang-Yang--spends hours talking to the old lady. These conversations become confessionals and the characters gradually re-evaluate their relationships. There are no catastrophic conflicts, only the ordinary, sometimes troubled, unfolding of lives. Yang enhances the film's sense of reality by frequently holding the camera back from the action. The use of long shots and unexpected angles makes it seem like the audience is eavesdropping, catching glimpses of lives passing by. Yi Yi is almost three hours long, but it flies by. Yang is both a consummate, restrained technician and a subtle director of actors. The combination is a magical one. --Simon Leake

On the DVD
The Criterion Collection's newly restored high-definition digital transfer of Edward Yang's Yi Yi is a revelation. The improvement over Fox Lorber's previous DVD release (deeply flawed and rushed into distribution in 2001, and now utterly obsolete) is so dramatic that an entire article was devoted to the subject in the New York Times, explaining the meticulous processes that went into perfecting the new DVD master for Criterion's definitive release. And while the feature-length commentary by writer-director Edward Yang and Asian-cinema critic Tony Rayns may be a bit too low-key for some listeners (because both Yang and Rayns are soft-spoken and not particularly dynamic speakers), attentive listeners will benefit greatly from their back-and-forth conversation. Yang provides in-depth insights into many aspects of Taiwanese cinema in general and Yi Yi in particular, from the hardships of distribution, competition from American films, his casting choices, explanations of specific shots, challenges and "happy accidents" during production, and various details regarding Taiwanese culture, its relation to Chinese and Japanese culture, and the familial traditions that are so affectionately explored in Yi Yi. Rayns is basically on hand to prompt Yang into making directorial observations, or to provide critical insights and observations for Yang to respond to. Both men are genial, intelligent, and articulate, so their commentary is well worth listening to for anyone interested in Asian cinema in a cultural context.

Customer Reviews:

Deeply moving .......2007-07-02

One of the my more profoundly moving experiences in cinema, both as a viewer and emerging filmmaker. Yang's technical, aesthetic, and narrative precision are models to be emulated, his personal insights on humanity, inspiring and deeply moving.

It is a sad, sad day, today -- July 1, 2007 -- to hear of the news that Yang, at 59, passed away. We will no longer be able to witness any more of his art-offerings to the cinematic world ...

Gorgeous...but overlong. .......2006-11-26

There have been very few truly remarkable films of the 21st Century so far. Edward Yang's YI-YI, made in 2000, could very well be the century's first true masterpiece, a gorgeous, methodic look at an everyday family's trials and tribulations in modern Taipei.

First and foremost, this film will be of great interest to those fascinated with modern Asia. As another reviewer pointed out, Taiwan is rarely (if ever) portrayed on the screen outside of its own circle of filmmakers, and the shots of the city and daily Taiwanese life are fascinating.

But more importantly are the technical aspects. The cinematography is lush but undistracting. Apart from the opening scene, which is bathed in red, everything is very natural. The lighting is low-key and the camera rarely moves. The entire film is shot in medium and long shots; there are no close-ups, no quick cutting to reactions or eyes, etc. It gives us the impression that we are eavesdropping which, naturally, makes the film more intimate and haunting. The acting is completely natural. Though everybody in the cast is excellent, there are a few performances that stick out, most especially those of the mother, the young son and the daughter. And the film is bouyed by a haunting, porwerful score that, when heard, ellicits great emotion from the audience.

That said, the film is long. At just barely under 3 hours, it can be a bit of a chore to sit through for some. I won't lie--it took me two sittings to get through it. But that's not a poke in the ribs to the film. I still loved it; it's the type of film that works better when you're watching it casually, letting it play out in the background, as opposed to you centering your entire night around it. Unlike most films, it's not an "event." It's what I'd like to call "background film," sort of like music that you let play in the background while you go about your daily chores.

And yet, this is a haunting, powerful little movie. Along with the films of Wong Kar Wai, it's one of the few true achievements of Chinese-language cinema, something that puts it in the realm of the masters like Truffuat, Fellini, and Bergman. If you're a truly undescriminating movie fan, you need to see this.

Quietly Observent....but LONG!!!.......2006-09-16

I try to go into every film with an open mind, but this film is so well regarded that I was expecting to be blown away. Unfortunately, that didn't happen.

The film is quietly observent, nice and thoughtful. Very polite, if that's a way to describe a film. I really enjoyed the early scenes where all the family, neighbors, and friends interacted. This slice-of-life convergence of many different people and stories is a dramatic device that I generally respond to.

However, in the second half, the emphasis shifted to two main characters--and I found this a little less interesting. Clocking in at just under 3 hours, I'll admit there were times that I looked at my watch in this half.

I did think that the ending was smart and sweet without being overly sentimental, and I think the film had more "hits" than "misses". KGHarris, 9/06.

a very nice film from Taiwan.......2006-09-11

This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.

Yi Yi literally translates as "One One" and in Chinese writing appears as two horizontal lines next to each other. It is also known as "Yi Yi: a One and a Two"

The film is the story of the Jian family living in Taiwan and follows their actions over the period of a year. Many things happen. A wedding, a funeral and other things. The film explores different aspects of life and death and hasbeen the recipient of many awards.

The DVD contains optional audio commentary by the film's writer and director, Edward Yang and film critic Tony Rayns. There is also an interview with Tony Rayns about Yang's film style. Finally, there is a theatrical trailer for the US release.

This is a nice film and has some excellent scenes.

Worlds Apart, Yet the Same.......2006-08-18

Lost love, teenage angst, cultural traditions, birth and death all come to play in Yi Yi: A One and a Two. Yi Yi, the young boy portrayed in the film, ends up being the most insightful character as his family members around him deal with thier own crises. Although a bit slow moving at first, this glimpse into another country's middle class and the contrast of tradition versus modern life make this a movie worth seeing.

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