Alan Yang's first full feature debut, "Tigertail" is an intimate view of a one man's life who leaves behind his family and his childhood sweetheart, Lee Yuan (Yo-Hsing Fang), in exchange for a taste of the American Dream, Told in the perspective of the old Pin-Jui (Tzi-Ma), he recounts his tragic story while his daughter, Angela (Christine Ko), tries to reconnect to him again.
"Tigertail" fits perfectly into the tier of movies that wanted to break free from the standard set by celebrated Chinese movies and just be accepted for what it is. But due to its copious use of precise framing and an evocative story to match, the story of youth in Yang's film inadvertently achieve the right blend of love and pain in reminiscent to Wong Kar-Wai's body of works, also the wide shots that linger and invites rumination shares some quality of likeness to Lulu Wang's film "The Farewell". This juxtaposition inspires unintended expectations that result in deep inquisitions, rather than immersions, and a feeling of ennui rather than, of supposedly, heartbreak and euphoria.
As the film jumps back and forth through time to illustrate Pin-Jui's false triumph; the transition felt abrupt and uncalled-for. It wasn't able to flesh out the core story of the father-daughter relationship between Pin-Jui and Angela because the story spends more time loathing in the past and forgot to let us experience the present. Most of the time the movie felt like it's coming from a weak premise, though that doesn't mean that "Tigertail" is a bad film.
It's undeniable that this movie has a lot of shortcomings but the potential and greatness embed in it remains. The movie effectively shell out Pin-Jui's weakness through Tzi-Ma's quiet yet effective stares and expressions. Realism is the strongest element of this film and although it's tempting to unpack a tragedy in fairytale-like fashion, director Alan Yang opted to let it stay deliberative of the emotions it sends out, and careful not to disrupt the story with a false sense of content. It's well shot and scored, and the story can easily be understood and followed despite the complexities.
"Tigertail" has good intentions and does not belittle its character and story. It's an average film, to summarize, and would need to be seen to fully realize whether it'll fit your taste or not.
3.5/5
