LEFT-HANDED GIRL World Cinema

Shih-Ching Tsou’s delightful solo directorial debut, co-written, produced and edited by her longtime collaborator Sean Baker, is a kaleidoscopic portrait of life in contemporary Tapei — as seen through the eyes of three generations of women, each contending with the pressures exerted by family, tradition and financial insecurity, while forging their own paths in the big city. When single mother Shu-fen (Janel Tsai) returns to Taiwan’s capital with her two daughters to run a modest noodle stall in a bustling night market, all three must rapidly adjust to their new environment. Shu-fen struggles to support her family and keep her new business afloat, while also facingthe challenge of paying for her ex-husband’s funeral expenses. Her headstrong teenage daughter I-Ann (Shih-Yua Ma) drifts toward risky independence as a betel-nut stand beauty, and her five-year-old daughter I-Jing (Nina Ye) becomes fixated on the idea that her left hand is cursed — “the devil’s hand” — after a comment from her more traditionally-minded grandfather. But while the family’s tough economic situation is clear, the resulting film is far from a tragic portrait of poverty and survival. Shot entirely on iPhone, Tsou’s film beautifully captures the vibrant chaos of Taipei with immediacy, grit and joy, echoing the visual energy of her previous collaborations with Baker (TANGERINE, THE FLORIDA PROJECT) and infusing humor and heart into every frame as the trio of central characters each comes into their own. –Abbie Algar