Yi Yi

I read how this movie can be considered as a movie about everything and nothing. To the latter, it holds true as at face value, all we see is an upper middle class family's life in Taiwan as they go through the natural course of life. But, theres also so much more. We see characters that are complex at each turn as they each grip through themes of young love, grief, sorrow, and the mysteries of life. In a way, characters mirror each other (NJ's first date vs. Ting Ting's) and it shows how life can grip all of us in the same way and leave us feeling the same. Yang-Yang's quest for "picturing the back of people's heads" is a poignant part of this as we explore each character's inner lives and emotions in an effort to see Yang (the director's) viewpoint on life. The ending absolutely broke me.