A work of extraordinary synchronicity, empathy, and narrative control, Yi Yi is like a particularly fine timepiece, as fascinating for the way it functions as the way it is formed. Once again and for his final completed feature, Yang probed the conflicts and anxieties of life in Taiwan, but this time through the prism of family. Middle-aged businessman NJ (wonderfully played by Wu Nien-Jen, one of the key screenwriters of the New Taiwan Cinema) is having personal and professional crises—his computer firm is in flux and he’s just reconnected with an old girlfriend. Meanwhile, Grandma has had a stroke, for which NJ’s daughter blames herself; his wife runs off to a religious retreat; and his son is having trouble adjusting to it all—perhaps because he’s a genius. Winner of the Best Director Award at Cannes, Yi Yi would be remarkable if only for the nuanced performances, or for the delicacy of the narrative, or for the gentleness and affection with which Yang considers his characters: Together, these ingredients make it both irresistible and overwhelming. An NYFF38 Main Slate selection. A Janus Films release.