Staring Christine Ko, Fiona Fu, Joan Chen
Written and Directed by Alan Yang. Run Time 1h 31min
Hindsight is a beautiful thing, because of it you can use it to reaffirm your life decisions or add regret to the ones you didn’t choose. I have often used it to judge where I am at in my life or in some cases where I could be if I just did that one thing. But the time I use it the most is when it comes to lost loves. I am single so it is not about thinking the one I am with is second choice, more if I had stayed with someone where would I be now? Tigertail is just such a story and it is much better than anyone I could tell about myself.
When Grover (Tzi Ma) was a younger man he dreamed of coming to the United States to be able to help his mother be in a better position in life. As a little boy he lived with his grandmother as his mom would look for work so that they could be together again. It was at his grandmother’s that he met Yuan (Joan Chen) who would become the friend he did everything with. A few years later they reconnect and you can see the sparks fly between Grover and Yuan. While his life with her is about taking chances, the rest of his world is about staying on the straight and narrow, taking care of his mother as they both work in a factory. When Grover’s mother almost gets hurt at work he takes his boss up on an offer to marry his daughter. Grover leaves to America with his new bride Zhenzhen (Fiona Fu), a woman he barley knows, and sets out capture the American dream. Years pass, kids are born, but Grover never feels alive like he did with Yuan and while he has lived a good life, he can’t help but think of what he could have had.
Stories about the paths we take always can hit home, because it is a story every one of us has faced. Grover’s story might be more relatable to more than a few people as I am sure he was not the only one to choose stability over love. The story written by Alan Yang, who also directs, slips between the past and present as you watch the decisions that Grover makes effect not only who he is, bit also who he becomes. He shapes not just the relationship with his wife, but also the one with his daughter because choosing stability for Grover has made him forget how to feel. The story is good, but it is also transparent as you know where it is going and not just because the use of time in the story. It is how family s viewed in this culture that makes this story so good and Tigertail continues the trend of good movies being made from Asia. Good stories make us all feel better about our world and this one earns its strips, and also might help you feel good about some of your own life choices as a plus.
