San Diego Asian Film Festival 2009

Actress Sandrine Pinna is a rising young talent in Taiwanese cinema and the centerpiece of Cheng Yu-Chieh’s YANG YANG. The beautiful French-Chinese star plays Yang Yang, a budding track star whose mother marries her track coach who then becomes her stepfather. Yang Yang and her new stepsister Xiao-Ru who is also on the track team seem close, but their relationship possesses hidden jealousy. Xiao-Ru’s boyfriend Shawn (played by Bryant Chang (also starring in Winds of September) secretly tries to seduce Yang Yang who doesn’t seem to mind his affections but winds up feeling ashamed of her betrayal to her new sister.

YANG YANG is the kind of film that tells its story in an observational manner. Cheng uses handheld camera techniques and long takes, and depends on the character interaction and sparse dialogue to carry the film. Cheng allows the audience to discover who Yang Yang is over the entire course of the film – and even then, it is still hard to say who she really is. But what is certain is that YANG YANG is a coming of age story about a Eurasian girl, her mistakes, flaws and growth as a person – played beautifully by a gifted and compelling young actress we haven’t seen the last of yet. – Mye Hoang

Co-presented by:
Government Information Office - Taiwan