chong_an

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.

This is a story of the life of William Shakespeare and his family in the Stratford environs, based on a few known facts. The time period is from Shakespeare meeting his wife, to the opening of Hamlet in London. A lot of time is spent on the drama of home life, including that with some of the in-laws. Not being much use locally other than as a Latin tutor, Shakepeare leaves for London. The desire for his family to join him is put off with various excuses, until a successful Shakespeare buys his marital family the biggest house in town.

Being away much on business, with occasional visits home, Shakespeare misses the birth, death, and funeral of his only son Hamnet (a.k.a. Hamlet). Instead, he uses Hamnet's name for the title and lead character in his tragic play, as ghosts of father and son abound.

The mostly rural scenery has a washed-out coloring, seeming to indicate a historical story (similar to Nuremberg), accentuated by dim or available-light-only photography.

Because the story is so much concentrated in the family life in the Stratford area, it is fitting that the credits list his wife first, not Shakespeare. Shakespeare may have played sword-fighting with his son, inspiring the closing scene of Hamlet. There are quotes from Shakespearean plays, as the (screen)writer may be stretching to connect Shakespeare's plays with his family. His wife, being a witch and medicine woman, may have inspired the witches of Macbeth.

The problem, I find, is that if you are not a fan of Shakespeare, and do not know his work reasonably well, you lose a significant part of the plot. For films currently playing, I have recommended Rental Family for those interested in Japanese culture, and Left Hand Girl for those interested in Taipei life. However, does anyone care about life in rural 16th century England, even if there was a major historical figure in it? This I why I can only give this film a rating of 7, as it is not for everyone.

Several Iranians share a common bond. They have been imprisoned, tortured, subject to mock executions and other abuses, but eventually set free. Blindfolded while being abused, they all remember "peg leg", a guard / torturer who lost a leg in the Syrian war, and seemed to make his prosthetic leg squeak as his signature presence. Years later, they are adapting to some form of "normal" life.

The instigator of the events in the story thinks that he had found "peg leg", captures him, ties him up, and is about to bury him alive, but his captive sows enough doubt in his mind that he stops and consults other former prisoners, in a chain of connections. Things get ever more complicated as more people are involved. Meanwhile, they have to deal with other distractions like running out of gas, dealing with security guards, going to a hospital, etc.

This is a believable story of how different people deal with a common trauma. The director is rather sparing in his use of locales - a lot of action occurs in or around the van "peg leg" is imprisoned in - shades of his earlier movie Taxi.

I am rather surprised that a movie critical of the Iranian regime made it out of Iran. What I am less happy with is the somewhat misleading introduction to the story.