"Yi Yi: A One and a Two..." A photo of the young boy Yangyang that reveals Edward Yang's "freshness"

“Yi Yi: A One and a Two...” synopsis

Yanyan, an 8-year-old boy, comes from an ordinary family and lives in Taipei with his grandmother, parents, and older sister Tingting. However, after his uncle's wedding, each member of his family begins to have various troubles. Her grandmother is in a coma due to a stroke, her mother becomes mentally unstable and turns to a new religion, and her father suddenly becomes close to his ex-lover, whom he reunited with after a long absence. My sister starts dating the boyfriend of the girl next door. And young love begins to bloom in Yangyang as well...

In Kinema Junpo's 2019 ``Ten Best Foreign Films of the 1990s,'' chosen by film critics, the film that won the top spot was directed by the late Taiwanese master director Edward Yang. 's `` Kuling Street Juvenile Murder Case '' (1991).

``A Brighter Summer Day'' is a coming-of-age film that carefully follows the summer days of children, based on an actual juvenile incident that occurred near a street with Japanese houses in Taiwan during the director's childhood. What has received particularly high praise is the quality of the visuals. It is filled with not just a painting-like beauty, but a ``cinematic'' beauty. But what exactly is this beauty? And why was he able to take such images?

The film that unravels this mystery is ``Yi Yi: A One and a Two...'' (2000), the last completed film by the late director Edward Yang.

Index

• Determining the current state of Taiwan through family problems
• The “other side” that exists in everything
• The secret behind the charm of Edward Yang's films

Determining the current state of Taiwan through family problems

This 173-minute long film follows daily lives of a family living in Taipei and the people around them, and depicts the various events that occur there. It can be said to be a modern version (at the time of filming) of "A Brighter Summer Day".

Young boy Yanyan, his parents, grandmother, and older sister Tingting each face life-changing situations. Her grandmother suffered a stroke and her mother joined a new religion. The father becomes desperate after reuniting with First Love, the older sister begins dating a young man who is dating a girl who lives in the neighborhood, and Yanyan also develops vague feelings for the girl at school.

At the time, Taiwan was under the influence of the global Internet bubble, as Yangyang's father NJ ran a computer company with his friends. In ``A Brighter Summer Day'', rock music by artists such as Presley became a symbol of the changing times, but here it is probably technology. The setting for ``A Brighter Summer Day'' was a Japanese house left behind by the Japanese who once occupied Taiwan, and the film was also filmed in Japan, making it a subtle reference to the films of Yasujiro Ozu. Show a close approach.

Issei Ogata plays a Japanese man who works for The Game company and is very introspective, and is depicted as a person who is far removed from business. NJ is attracted to his humanity, but in the end, his colleagues at work find a business partner who can make a quick buck, and NJ's First Love, a woman living in Tokyo, disappears.

The “other side” that exists in everything