I don't necessarily buy that, simply because such comparisons simply scratch the surface of both movies. I will say that "Magnolia" certainly resonated more with me as an individual. But "Yi Yi" left me cold many times throughout the picture. It's definitely a trying film to watch at times; Yang is very content to let the scenes speak for themselves, without feeling a need to use dialog. Many scenes are simple setups to let the characters' actions, or lack thereof, convey all of the emotions. Sometimes this approach works, but at other times it feels conspicuous and halting.

The movie also suffers because, to be honest, some of the stories simply are not interesting. At times, peripheral characters take over the film's focus, whereas it feels like more important, or at the very least, more interesting characters are forced into the background. The two most interesting characters, the family's daughter, Ting-Ting, and son, Yang Yang, often drop out of the film. However, I think the movie would've benefited greatly if had spent more time looking at the scenarios through their eyes.

One thing, however, is that "Yi Yi" is simply gorgeous to watch. At times, I was reminded of "The Scent Of Green Papaya", another slow-moving yet beautiful film. Both film's take great joy and peering into the ordinary and finding the beauty within. Yang seems very fond of shooting through windows, giving us a near-voyeuristic look at what's going inside. These shots are always gorgeous, with the reflections (usually of traffic and crowds of people) providing the tension in the scene.

But "Yi Yi"'s close attention to detail also makes for a film that is, well, a little trying at times. Even the most emotional scenes feel subdued simply because of the vast spaces between them. I feel like I should be "haunted" by this film, that it should be lodged in the back of my head as I try and figure out the significance of this scene or that scene. But that's not the case. I want to give this film another viewing, just to see if I missed anything. I'm willing to give Yang the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps that might change my opinion of "Yi Yi", but until then, my feelings will have to remain mixed.

Another ingenious and wonderfully complementary choice director Edward Yang made with this film was to boost the levels of the background sounds throughout the entire film. When two people have a conversation near a busy intersection, it's often hard to hear exactly what they're saying. This is--in our opinion--a highly effective technique, as it again gives us a much larger picture rather than a smaller, more focused one. It also accentuates the viewer's feeling that he is an outsider being offered a peek into these people's lives. The point isn't that we hang on every word or facial gesture, but rather that we watch these people interact with each other from afar, and gather what information we can in the process. For, really, isn't that which is partially obscured far more intriguing than that which is in plain view?

We won't go into the details of the story here, since we don't feel that it is necessary or appropriate. This film is not an anecdote, not a linear story, but rather an experience. Where other films force feed you images and ideas, this film backs off and lets you find your own.