Tigertail

That closing shot.

As a story about someone letting it all kinda get away from them (themselves, their desires, their ability to connect emotionally) not due to some significant event but just through their everyday decisions and the passage of time, it's pretty depressing. But also funny and beautiful at times.

It made me real sad despite having no connection to the material or the immigrant experience.

The relationship between Grover and Zhenzhen is one of my favorite on-screen romances in quite a while. Unfortunately, like so much else, it was ruined by the devastating lie that is the American capitalist dream. In a just universe, Lee Hong Chi would be in awards consideration; sadly, that seems as likely as Tigertail being as culturally prevalent as Tiger King.

Now available on Netflix, this multi-generational drama follows a Taiwanese factory worker who leaves his homeland to seek opportunity in the US, where he struggles to find connection while balancing family and newfound responsibilities.

The two aspects I loved the most about Tigertail were the score (which sounded amazing and perfectly fit the tone) and the non-linear storytelling that kept the story interesting to follow. I, also, liked how they shot part of the movie on film - when the lead character was young - as it gave it more personality. Other than that, I found Tigertail to be a rather by-the-books drama with interesting but, perhaps, underdeveloped commentary on immigration. The movie is quite short and never feels dull or boring, though, so I would recommend it to fans of this kind of dramas.

6/10 or 7/10 (can't decide)

I watched this on Netflix, and the premise was very interesting. A man leaves the love of his love in Taiwan for the chance of immigrating to America with his boss's daughter, and he decides to seek the love he left behind as an old man as well as get along with his estranged daughter.

Though the narrative was interesting, well, I felt that the film could've done more with the characters, esp. Yuan, who is played by veteran actress Joan Chen. I think she should've had more screen time given her acting prowess, and perhaps this could've been a limited series. Maybe I'm insisting on what the movie should've been instead of accepting what it was, but by the time it ended, I was sorta left hanging.

Still, this type of tale should be told more often. As the parents of Asian immigrants myself, it struck a chord with me.

A touching father daughter relationship at the core of it. A bit of a downer but it redeemed itself with a heartfelt ending