Yi Yi

It's not easy to write about something so vast and something as big as life itself. But when a director manages to encapsulate all of life in a 3hr movie beautifully through the lens of people at different stages of life, it's worth a praise. First the childhood ,the curious stage, the stage with most freedom. The joy in finding new things, and feeling attracted to someone for the first time. Then the adolescent period ,when we make mistakes, the guilt with which we live and the time when we're curious but hesitate to express ourselves. The heartbreaks and the first feeling of loneliness that comes with this age. Then the most complex stage, adult stage when you're burdened by responsibilities, you avoid thinking about your passion, try to move on from all the heartbreaks and find solace to reunite with someone you love and yet feel distant to them, you try to provide for the family and you're afraid of letting go but you can't do anything about it, you're afraid your children will grow apart from you. And lastly the old age, when you forget easily, forgive easily and you slowly get lonelier and give up, and become vulnerable. You don't want anyone to make you feel old and talk about your departure from life, yet you can't help thinking about it with all the physical pain that comes with this age. All of this,is beautifully portrayed in the busy city of Taipei, which almost feels like a character itself.