Left-Handed Girl, 2025.
Directed by Shih-Ching Tsou.
Starring Janel Tsai, Shih-Yuan Ma, Nina Ye, Brando Huang, Alvin Lin, Blaire Chang, Akio Chen, Xin-Yan Chao, and Liz Chen.
SYNOPSIS:
A single mother and her two daughters relocate to Taipei to open a night market stall, each navigating the challenges of adapting to their new environment while striving to maintain family unity.
Left-Handed Girl (which refers to an outdated Taiwanese cultural myth that using one’s left hand for tasks is frowned upon and is referred to as the devil’s hand) marks a role-reversal collaboration between Shih-Ching Tsou and Oscar-winner Sean Baker, with the former solo directing and the latter serving as a producer, co-writer, and editor. And while that title might make the film sound like it’s about one character, it is an ensemble piece about a working-class family moving back to Taipei to make ends meet through various odd jobs. It’s a moving piece of filmmaking passionately told with culturally specific touches by Shih-Ching Tsou and that lived-in Sean Baker touch.
Shu-Fen (Janel Tsai) lives in a cramped, claustrophobic space with her two daughters, I-Ann (Shih-Yuan Ma) and I-Jing (Nina Ye), while renting out a spot at the hottest nighttime market in the city for a noodle spot. Naturally, money is tight, but the struggles here are financial and family-related. Like much of Sean Baker’s work, much of that drama comes from the perspective of an impressionable child. I-Jing is trying to navigate this dysfunction, unsure why her angsty, young-adult sister, I-Ann, keeps getting temperamental with their mom. She also has an overbearing traditionalist grandfather who uses his babysitting time to cruelly instill in her that she will be perceived as evil for as long as she is left-handed.
The father abandoned the family some time ago, but is now on his deathbed. Unsurprisingly, I-Ann objects to Shu-Fen’s frequent hospital visits, which take time away from watching over the noodle stand and making money to pay various bills (the market owner is strict that he will take the space away if business does not meet expectations). For some reason, Shu-Fen also feels obligated to pay for the funeral (the man has no other family), which her sisters and mother don’t understand, especially since the latter is often asked for financial help. As for I-Ann, she takes a job at a substance dispensary (offering betel nuts) where dressing sexually-charged is encouraged for business by the seedy manager.
I-Ann is more than comfortable doing so, but also seems lost in life, unable to fit in with former high school friends she reconnects with, who are now in college and behave condescendingly toward her, wondering why the straight-A student isn’t trying to make something of herself. Nevertheless, I-Ann enters into a chaotic love life while trying to balance her duties at both shops, while also being a mother to I-Jing when Shu-Fen isn’t around (with the whimsical upbeat score playing as they bike ride across the bustling and alive, vibrant city, a pleasure on the eyes and ears). Meanwhile, Shu-Fen also develops a romantic interest in one of the shop managers in the adjacent shop, who sells all sorts of products, with a particular emphasis on magic sponges.
There is no denying that this is a lot to balance for any filmmaker, and, admittedly, Left-Handed Girl does stumble even with the stellar, tight editing from Sean Baker. Every character is compelling, and the performances are deeply human, with an exceptional child performance from Nina Ye that balances moments of cutesy inquisitiveness with a nuanced and organic sense of confusion about the situations around her. Not only is she questioning everything and concerned about life, but she has also turned into a kleptomaniac at the surrounding market stores, amusingly convinced that she is not doing anything wrong; her devil hand is breaking the law.
It is more that, while the freewheeling yet urgent nature of Left-Handed Girl is effective if scattered across the three characters, it doesn’t fully snap into focus until a grand revelation within the last 15 minutes that re-contextualizes the entire experience into something more layered and dramatically affecting. This is a heartwarming story about flawed people, lightweight yet emotionally stirring, elevated by naturalistic performances and authenticity. Shih-Ching Tsou has learned all the proper lessons from collaborating with Sean Baker, having crafted a directorial debut that stands alongside his works as a soulful companion piece about working-class families.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder
