Left-Handed Girl

A 5-year-old girl, her university-aged sister, and their single mother move back from the countryside to Taipei, where the mother opens a noodle stall in a night market.

The youngest goes to school, is somewhat taken care of by the 2 family members, at time tries to help, but also at times is left to amuse herself. She wants a dog, but ends up inheriting her father's meerkat. Her left-handedness causes trouble with her grandfather, who calls the left hand "the devil's hand", something that leads to unintended results.

The older girl goes to work at an unrelated shop, and when she happens upon an old schoolmate, they wonder why she is not in university, given her previous grades, and why she suddenly left school without goodbyes.

The mother's finances are shaky, repeatedly being late with her shop's rent. Grandma is not too supportive, as (culturally) a married daughter is the responsibility of her husband's family. The owner / operator of the stall next to hers (who sells trinkets) takes a shine to her, but she refuses his help, preferring to pawn her jewelry to raise money.

Everything comes to a head at grandma's 60th birthday celebration, where various family secrets are revealed. I do wonder why they all have to be revealed at that time.

The actor playing the 5-year-old is very good, given that she has to play a wide range of emotions. The bustling shops of the market are an eye-opener, and it seems that motor scooters are a major form of transport. This becomes a fascinating glimpse of life in Taipei for ordinary people.

When I walked into the modern and comfortable southern Taiwan cinema, I knew nothing about this film until when the film started rolling and I saw Sean Baker's name in it. I have been a huge Baker fan for decades since his 'Take Out'. I've watched and enjoyed every one of his films. I somehow remembered Tsou's name in the credit in every one of Baker's films but it didn't click on me when I first noticed Left-Handed Girl. I was really delighted and enjoyed this wonderful Tsou/Baker co-production about Taiwan's ordinary people's lives and how their compassion for each other intertwined in the typical Tsou/Baker touches. This film reminded me of their earlier 'Prince of Broadway', 'Starlet', 'Tangerine', 'The Florida Project', 'Red Rocket' and lastly but not the least 'Anora'. I wish Left-Handed Girl many successes in the upcoming awards season and I look forward to seeing more of Tsou/Baker co-production in the future. If you like any of their previous films, don't miss out this touching yet often hilarious and wonderful film about contemporary Taiwan.

This movie is unbelievably terrible. It makes no sense at all - it's basically like a vlog, filming the same family every day. And everyone in it acts like an idiot. As a Taiwanese person, this is not the Taiwan I know. It actually feels more like the lifestyle and behavior of people in Hong Kong or China.

The Left-Handed Girl follows a single mother and her two daughters returning to Taipei. The mother struggles with debt after her ex becomes gravely ill; the rebellious elder daughter gets involved with a married man; and the younger one becomes terrified of her "demonic" left hand after a tragic accident. The film captures their intertwined lives, as well as the mother's relationship with her own parents and siblings, revealing both humor and helplessness in the face of traditional Chinese views on family and gender.

During the Q&A, director Shih-Ching Tsou shared her long creative journey with Sean Baker. Working on Baker's low-budget projects meant handling everything from costumes to props to extras, which Tsou described as attending "Sean Baker Film School." The film inherits something essential from Baker's cinema: compassion for its characters.

Whether the mother, or the two daughters, each is portrayed with care and dignity. The film guides us through their shared struggles, buried secrets, and the emotional storm that erupts in the final sequence. That quiet compassion, which defines Baker's best work, shines here as well.

One late-night scene stands out: the two sisters wandering through a Taipei night market. Without spoilers, the older girl says a line that suddenly changes how we see her. As she leads her younger sister through the market's stalls, we glimpse another side of her, a subtle revelation that also quietly foreshadows later developments. She suddenly feels more than just a stereotypical rebellious teen. Perhaps she is moved by her little sister's pure love for their mother, which prompts her sudden change of heart. (And the younger girl, sensing her mother's inner conflict, ends up doing something both touching and amusing.) Though the three of them rarely enjoy what we might call quality time together, their bond proves far stronger than it first appears. They affect and transform one another through love, that very emotion becomes the seed from which each character grows into fullness.

This film did it all for me. The acting was amazing. The cinematography was beautiful. Editing was seamless. It was well written and humorous, but also super emotional. It was wonderful in every way. I'm glad I saw this in the theater and I highly recommend it to get the full effect. I was lucky enough to be able to see it for the Film Independent screening at AMC The Grove, and there was a panel afterward with the director, actors and Sean Baker, the editor. The ending was not anything I saw coming. This movie is the reason why I love movies.