Zuopiezi nuhai

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.

Left Handed Girl (2025) is a pleasant film with a gentle emotional tone and a visually appealing style. It delivers a soft, engaging atmosphere that makes it enjoyable to watch, and it has moments of genuine beauty both in its characters and its cinematography. However, despite its charm, the movie ultimately settles into very standard drama territory.

The story feels too familiar and doesn't take advantage of the themes it introduces. There are several places where the narrative could have gone deeper-whether in exploring the character's internal struggle, the relationships around her, or the broader message the film hints at. Because of this lack of development, many scenes feel lighter than they should, and the emotional impact remains limited.

Overall, Left Handed Girl is a nice, watchable film, but it clearly had the potential to be much stronger with a richer and more ambitious story.

For an indie project, entirely shot on iPhones, it surprisingly tackles a myriad of socially relevant topics, from age-old superstitions to entrenched patriarchal practices.

What I particularly like is how it gives each of the main characters their moments to shine, highlighting their individual struggles without prioritizing one over the others.

It beautifully illustrates that everyone has their own challenges, and we all cope in different ways; some could handle things quietly, while others need to let it all out.

It's not overly heavy on the emotions, but the makers' intentions come across clearly. Plus, the "iPhone" footage adds a unique touch of realism to the whole storytelling experience.

Oh, and watch out for the twist at the end; I was flabbergasted.

Left-Handed Girl was so visually comforting for me. I love the colours, the little pockets of China it showed, and having a kid as the POV just hits different. Some scenes had that indie-film vibe, but there were moments where the framing felt more like it was shot on a phone than an actual film. Still, the scenes - especially the kid's - were so good. The girl absolutely carried; she was the best part of the whole movie.

The film was nice overall. I liked how it tried to subtly tackle family-planning issues, Chinese family dynamics, poverty, teenage pregnancy, and that whole innocence arc - like when the kid tried to steal and you could see the innocence hit her with poverty and problems around her

what I loved most was the sudden cuts and the smooth sound transitions - the background/ambient sounds were so good.

I just wish it wasn't too laidback. Like, give me a bit more substance in the story or the dialogue. I get that it's aiming for an indie vibe, but it felt a little imbalanced considering how good the visuals were.

Story of how women are living in life. A mom, a daughter and a girl, when moved to a new city, they have to find way to survive it. They have their messy past history but here its their future and its even more messier.

From unpaid bills to dragging old relations everything comes in their way. The innocent girl for whom her own hand becomes a devil. All this and much more with super visuals and great story line that sucks you in.