Movie Review: 'Yang Yang'

Sandrine Pinna provides stellar performance in narrative about self-discovery

By Joe Nguyen, AsiaXpress.com

Nov. 12, 2009

 

Yang Yang (Taiwan, 2009) Not Rated Dir. Yu-Chieh Cheng Cast: Sandrine Pinna, Bryant Chang, Chien-wei Huang Time: 112 min. Language: Cantonese and Mandarin with English subtitles "Yang Yang" plays at the 32nd Starz Denver Film Festival at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 21 and 4:45 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 22

Identity.

 

For many college students, it is something they are discovering, defining for the first time in their lives. For Yang Yang, growing up half-French and half-Chinese in Taiwan, forging an identity proves to be more difficult.

 

Writer and Director Yu-Chieh Cheng’s “Yang Yang” is a slice-of-life narrative following the tale of the title character as she embarks on a journey of self-discovery, while running away from the troubles in her life. While the film’s handheld shots prove to be nauseating at times, its engrossing plot and well-developed characters create a captivating story to watch.

 

The film stars Sandrine Pinna as the title character whose mom marries her track coach. Yang Yang and her new stepsister Xiao-Ru – who’s the same age and also on the track team – become close and it appears the family is off to a fairy-tale life. But what begins as a happy start devolves into a chain of events leaving her life in chaos.

 

The 22-year-old Pinna gives an amazing performance as she gracefully carries the film. At times it’s frustrating to watch the decisions Yang Yang makes in her life, but Pinna is able to make those moments palatable.

 

The strength of the movie resides within the complex characters Cheng creates. Each figure – from Xiao-Ru’s boyfriend Shawn to Ming-Ren, the talent agent who scouts Yang Yang – is imbued with qualities that refrain from categorizing them as good or bad, but rather just human. It is these qualities that create a connection with the viewer.

 

What’s interesting about “Yang Yang” is that it confronts the topic of being multiracial in Taiwan, something Cheng knows well with his Taiwanese mother and Japan-raised Chinese father. Cheng explores the topic as Yang Yang struggles to accept her French background.

 

“Yang Yang” is not a film that is filled with big twists nor does it follow the template for a tradition movie plot. But it was never meant to be one. Rather it is an absorbing study on an individual seeking to find her place in the world.