Member-only story
An honest review of “Tigertail” from a daughter of Asian immigrants
How Alan Yang’s Netflix film landed its spot as my favorite film of 2020
It’s rare to come across films that perfectly depict parts of your life in ways you never thought would be seen in mainstream media. Thankfully, I can now count on Alan Yang’s storytelling in Tigertail to educate others on the journey my family, and so many others, faced in carving out better lives for the generations that follow.
It is one of the few films, if not the first, that serves as a strong reminder and proud acknowledgement of my origins: a showcase of the sacrifices and hardships my parents and grandparents formerly endured to provide foundations for my life today. As I concluded the 91-minute piece with endless streams of tears and a heavy heart, I knew I needed to share its impact on me with a broader audience and explain why a story like this is necessary for others to experience.
Summary
Inspired by the story of Yang’s own father, Tigertail tells the personal story of a man named Pin-Jiu who leaves Taiwan to carve a life for himself in America. The film starts off by depicting scenes from his early childhood in the grassy countryside, and then proceeds to shift between scenes in 1950’s Taiwan and present-day…
