Yi Yi

For the Chinese actress, seeYi Yi (actress).For the Korean scholar and philosopher, seeYi I.

Yi Yi
French theatrical release poster
Directed by	Edward Yang
Written by	Edward Yang
Produced by	Shinya Kawai
Starring	Wu Nien-jen Elaine Jin Issey Ogata Kelly Lee Jonathan Chang Hsi-Sheng Chen Su-Yun Ko Lawrence Ko
Cinematography	Wei-han Yang
Edited by	Bo-Wen Chen
Music by	Kai-Li Peng
Distributed by	Kuzui Enterprises
Release dates	May 14, 2000(2000-05-14)(Cannes Film Festival) September 20, 2000(2000-09-20)(France) December 16, 2000(2000-12-16)(Japan)
Running time	173 minutes
Countries	Taiwan Japan
Languages	Mandarin Taiwanese Japanese English

Yi Yi(Chinese:Nhất nhất;pinyin:Yī Yī;lit.'one one'; subtitledA One and a Two) is a 2000 Taiwanesedrama filmwritten and directed byEdward Yang.It centers on the struggles of an engineer, NJ (played byWu Nien-jen), and three generations of his middle-class Taiwanese family inTaipei.

The film's title means "one by one", or "one after another". When written in vertical alignment, the two strokes resemble the character for "two":Nhị.

Yi Yipremiered on May 14, 2000, at the53rd Cannes Film Festival,where Yang won theBest Director Award.The film has received acclaim and is often regarded as one of thegreatest filmsof the 21st century.

Plot

The Jian family—father NJ, mother Min-Min, daughter Ting-Ting, son Yang-Yang—is a middle-class family inTaipei.At the wedding of Min-Min's younger brother A-Di, NJ runs into his ex-girlfriend Sherry, who gives him her number before leaving. Sherry is married to an American and lives inChicago.After the reception, Min-Min's mother, who lives with the family, suffers a stroke that leaves her comatose. She is put on life support and the doctor urges the Jians to talk to her daily.

NJ is dissatisfied with his job, and his company is struggling financially. To secure a client named Mr. Ota, NJ's colleagues ask him to take Ota out for dinner, to which he reluctantly agrees. They get along well and NJ takes Ota to a bar, where Ota sings and plays the piano. That night, NJ phones and leaves a message for Sherry, apologizing for leaving her abruptly 30 years ago. Meanwhile, Min-Min becomes depressed by her mother's condition and leaves for a remote Buddhist retreat.

After a failed investment, A-Di is kicked out of the house and asks his ex-girlfriend Yun-Yun for help. A-Di is allowed to return upon the birth of his child but a fight breaks out at the baby shower when Yun-Yun shows up uninvited. A-Di and his wife reconcile after she discovers him passed out due to a gas leak at their house.

Ting-Ting feels guilty because her grandmother collapsed while taking out the trash Ting-Ting was supposed to take out. She befriends her new neighbor, Lili. After Lili breaks up with her boyfriend Fatty, he begins to relay letters for Lili through Ting-Ting. Fatty soon becomes attracted to Ting-Ting and asks her out. After their second date, the two check into a hotel room, but they hesitate and leave. Later, Ting-Ting sees Lili back together with Fatty and is later berated by Fatty himself. Ting-Ting becomes depressed and talks to her grandmother, asking her to wake up. She learns the next day that Fatty has been arrested for killing Lili's teacher, who was in a sexual relationship with both Lili and her mother. At home, Ting-Ting dreams of being comforted by her grandmother.

Unwilling to speak to his grandmother because he feels like she cannot hear him, Yang-Yang starts taking photographs. To punish him for leaving school to buy film, Yang-Yang is forced to face a wall while his teacher circulates his photographs among the other students. Later, after seeing the girl who torments him (because she likes him) swimming, Yang-Yang teaches himself how to swim to learn more about his tormenter.

NJ is sent by his company toTokyoto continue talks with Ota; Sherry also flies to Japan. The two reunite and recount their past; Sherry remains affected by NJ's abrupt departure and NJ attempts to resolve their tensions. They travel to another city and check into a hotel, but when NJ insists on separate rooms, Sherry berates him and breaks down. They return to Tokyo and check back into their respective rooms; before leaving, NJ tells Sherry that he has never loved anyone else. The next day, NJ is informed by his colleague that they have secured a deal with another client and he is to return to Taipei immediately. In response, NJ berates his colleague for abandoning Ota. Later, NJ goes to check on Sherry's room, learning that she has already checked out.

Upon her mother's death, Min-Min returns home and is reunited with her family. At the funeral, NJ's colleague urges him to come back to work, but he refuses. In front of her shrine, Yang-Yang recites an intimate monologue. He recounts their time together, his hope of finding where she went, and a desire to "tell people what they don't know, show them what they can't see." He concludes his poem by saying how his newborn cousin reminds him of her, always saying she is old, as he always wanted to say along with her, "I am old too."

Cast

• Wu Nien-jenas NJ
• Elaine Jinas Min-Min
• Kelly Leeas Ting-Ting
• Jonathan Changas Yang-Yang
• Issey Ogataas Mr. Ota
• Chen Hsi-Sheng as A-Di
• Su-Yun Ko as Sherry
• Chang Yu Pang as Fatty

Production and casting

Yi Yiwas filmed from April 8 to August 21, 1999. Yang's script originally had the children aged 10 and 15, but Yang later found Jonathan Chang and Kelly Lee (who had never acted before). When filming began, they were 8 and 13 years old. Yang made amendments to the script accordingly.

Reception

Critical reception

On thereview aggregatorwebsiteRotten Tomatoes,Yi Yiholds an approval rating of 97%, based on 87 critic reviews with an average rating of 8.3/10. The site's consensus reads: "In its depiction of one family,Yi Yiaccurately and expertly captures the themes and details, as well as the beauty, of everyday life ".OnMetacritic,which uses aweighted average,the film holds a score of 94 out of 100, based on 25 critic reviews.

In his review of the film forThe New York Times,A. O. Scottrevealed: "As I watched the final credits ofYi Yithrough bleary eyes, I struggled to identify the overpowering feeling that was making me tear up. Was it grief? Joy? Mirth? Yes, I decided, it was all of these. But mostly, it was gratitude ".Kenneth Turanwrote in theLos Angeles Times:"It's a delicate film but a strong one, graced with the ability to see life whole, the grief hidden in happiness as well as the humor inherent in sadness".J. Hobermanof The Village Voice calledYi Yia "lucid, elegant, nuanced, humorous melodrama that's never nearly as sentimental as it might have been" and praised Yang's direction, which he remarked "orchestrates a soap opera season's worth of family crises with virtuoso discretion".The New YorkercriticDavid Denbyconcluded: "By degrees, with incredible calm and patience, the narrative takes hold, and by the end nearly every shot seems momentous".

Accolades

After debuting at the2000 Cannes Film Festival,Yi Yicollected a host of awards from international festivals. It garnered directorEdward YangBest Directorat Cannes and was nominated for the Palme d'Or in the same year.Yi Yialso won the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival's Netpac Award ( "For the perceptive and sensitive portrayal of a generation and cultural gap in Taiwan and the painful choices to be made in these difficult times" ) and theVancouver International Film Festival's Chief Dan George Humanitarian Award. It tied withTopsy-Turvyfor the 2000 Sarajevo Film Festival's Panorama Jury Award.

It won Best Foreign Film from theFrench Syndicate of Cinema Criticsin 2001, the Grand Prix at theFribourg International Film Festivalin Switzerland in 2001, The Best Foreign Film from theLos Angeles Film Critics AssociationAwards in 2000, Best Film from theNational Society of Film Criticsin 2001 (where Yang also won 2nd place for a Best Director Award), and Best Foreign Language Film from theNew York Film Critics Circle Awardsin 2000. The film was nominated for the prestigiousGrand Prixof theBelgian Syndicate of Cinema Critics.The film also won a "Best Film – China/Taiwan" award and "Best Director" award from the 2002Chinese Film Media Awards,a "Best Film" award at the 2001Chinese Film Media Awards.It was named one of the best movies of 2001 by many prominent publications and critics, includingThe New York Times,Newsweek,USA Today,theVillage Voice,Film Comment,theChicago Reader,and the authorSusan Sontag,among others. Specifically,Yi Yiwas named "Best Film of the Year" (2000) by the following film critics and writers:A. O. ScottofThe New York Times,Susan Sontagwriting forArtforum,Michael Atkinsonof theVillage Voice,Steven Rosen ofThe Denver Post,John Anderson, Jan Stuart and Gene Seymour writing forNewsday,and Stephen Garrett as well as Nicole Keeter ofTime Out New York.

The film also won 2nd place for Best Director, Best Film and Best Foreign Language Film in the 2000Boston Society of Film Critics Awards,and was also nominated for: a Best Foreign Language Film award from the Awards Circuit Community Awards, a Best Non-American Film award from the 2003Bodil Awards,a Best Foreign Language Film award from the 2001Chicago Film Critics Association Awards,the Best Cast, a Best Foreign Film award from the 2001Cesar Awards,a Screen International Award from the 2000European Film Awards,a Best Asian Film award from the 2002Hong Kong Film Awards,a Best Foreign Language Film award from the Online Film & Television Association, a Best Foreign Language Film award from the 2001Online Film Critics Society Awards,and a Golden Spike award from the 2000Valladolid International Film Festival.

In 2002, the British film magazineSight & SoundselectedYi Yias one of the ten greatest films of the past 25 years.

Yi Yialso placed third in a 2009Village Voice Film Pollranking "The Best Film of the Decade", tying withLa Commune (Paris, 1871)(2000) andZodiac(2007), and also placed third in a 2009IndieWireCritics' Poll of the "Best Film of the Decade". The film was summarized by film criticNigel Andrews,who wrote in theFinancial Timesthat to "describe [Yi Yi] as a three-hour Taiwanese family drama is like callingCitizen Kanea film about a newspaper. "

Aggregation siteThey Shoot Pictures, Don't Theyhas named it as the third most acclaimed film of the 21st century among critics.It also received 20 total votes in the 2012Sight & Soundpolls,and was ranked the eighth-greatest film of the 21st century in a 2016BBCpoll.In 2019,The GuardianrankedYi Yi26th in its 100 Best Films of the 21st Century list.

Home media

The film is available onThe Criterion Collectionand features a newly restored digital transfer along with aDTS-HD Master Audiosoundtrack (on the Blu-ray), audio commentary from Yang and Asian film criticTony Rayns.

Soundtrack

The piano pieces inYi Yi's soundtrack are mostly performed by Kaili Peng, Yang's wife. They includeBeethoven'sMoonlight SonataandJ. S. Bach's Toccata in E minor (BWV914). Peng has a smallcameoin the film as a concert cellist, playing Beethoven'sCello sonata No. 1with her husband posing as a pianist.

External links

• Yi YiatIMDb
• Yi YiatAllMovie
• Yi YiatMetacritic
• Yi YiatRotten Tomatoes
• Yi YiatBox Office Mojo
• Yi Yi: Time and Spacean essay byKent Jonesat theCriterion Collection