Shih-Ching Tsou’s first foray into filmmaking was co-writing and co-directing the indie, Take Out, in 2004 with Sean Baker. She went on to produce a bunch of Baker’s subsequent films including, Starlet (2012), Tangerine (2015), The Florida Project (2017 and Red Rocket (2021).
But in the two decades-plus she’s known Baker, the idea for Left-Handed Girl, her first solo feature, was percolating. This year, it bowed at the Cannes Film Festival and is Taiwan’s International Feature submission. It has also just been nominated for two Critics Choice Awards: Best Foreign Language Film and Best Younger Actor (Nina Ye).
The gritty but glittery flick is set in Taipei and centers on I-Jing (Nina Ye in a captivating performance), a young girl being raised, along with her petulant teen sister, I-Ann (Shih-Yuan Ma), by their single mom, Sho-Fen (Janel Tsai).
After a number of years living in the countryside, the trio have returned to the manic night market life in order to make money to survive. One day I-Jing’s uber-traditional grandfather notices that his granddaughter is left-handed and he forbids her using it, shouting that it is “evil and belongs to the devil.” This sets I-Jing off on her own odd journey, one that will lead to the exposure of deeply shameful family secrets.
Tsou’s impressive and assured work is visually vibrant and arresting as she sheds light on how these strange superstitions dominate a culture still steeped in old world customs.
Four-time Oscar-winner Baker (Anora) is also the movie’s editor and one of its producers.
Read a review of the film, as part of my International Feature Oscar Entry analysis, HERE.
Left-Handed Girl just bowed on Netflix.
The Contending had a great video chat with Tsou.
