Taiwanese writer-director Yang won a long overdue Best Director award at Cannes for this structurally complex but emotionally direct masterwork. YI YI is a rich tapestry woven from the lives of the members of a contemporary middle-class Taipei family – and their in-laws, friends, business colleagues, neighbours, etc. Everything happens to NJ Jian (Taiwanese writer-director Wu Nianzhen) at once: his elderly mother-in-law goes into a coma on the day of his brother-in-law’s wedding. At the reception, he encounters his long-lost first love and starts questioning his life. On the verge of a breakdown, his wife visits a spiritual retreat. Their young son gets into trouble at school. Teen daughter experiences her first crush. Then there’s the business deal with the Japanese games genius. In this intimate saga, Yang again reflects on the realities of modern Taiwan. With its affecting mix of drama and comedy and the director’s distinctive visual and narrative style, YI YI has played to great acclaim from audiences and critics alike, earning plaudits as one of the year’s best. A movie of formidable intelligence and observation, marbled with moments of magical abstraction. Variety.com A film of Chekhovian depth, Altmanesque breadth and a miraculous tragicomic tenderness.One of the highlights of the coming year. Financial Times www.yiyithemovie.com