Tigertail: An Immigrant’s Journey

Did you miss me? My last review ("Emma") was posted on March 10, 2020.  After that, I stopped going to the movies (as we all did).  Fortunately, a new movie  ("Tigertail" – not to be confused with "Tiger King!") was released by Netflix, and it's well worth watching. This is one of those movies that I can't say much about the plot, since there are flashbacks and some of the scenes from the main character's life in Taiwan occur well into the film. Pin-Jui (Tzi Ma, who also played the father in "The Farewell") was born in Taiwan.  His father dies when he is very young and his mother has to live in the city to find a job.  Pin-Jui is sent to live with his grandmother on a farm.  There is political turmoil and his grandmother is supposed to register the child, but she refuses.  One time, soldiers come looking for the boy, but she successfully hides him.  He misses his mother terribly and cries.  His grandmother tells him "Be strong.  Don't ever let anyone see you cry."  Pin-Jui takes this advice to heart. As a young adult, Pin-Jui immigrates to New York City with his young bride.  Following his grandmother's advice, Pin-Jui is unable to mourn his significant numerous losses, resulting in a very restricted, walled-off emotional life and barren inner world. The film switches to the present in NYC, primarily involving Pin-Jui's extremely distant relationship with his only daughter, Angela (Christine Ko).  Angela is very driven and is a workaholic (just like her father), but her efforts don't earn her the love and approval she craves from him. This is the debut film for Writer/Director Alan Yang and is apparently, to some degree, based on his experience as a child of immigrant parents.  It has a leisurely pace, but all the scenes are necessary and some are gems.  It's a film you'll enjoy and you may find yourself reflecting on it days after you've seen it.