Watching this again in all its restored glory on the big screen, my appreciation of the film has increased exponentially. With its massive ensemble of characters, the film has the richness of an epic novel. What impressed me most was how Yang was able to present a fully fleshed out society including the political atmosphere and culture of the times in a way that very few films I’ve seen can do. Like Hou’s A Time to Live and a Time to Die, it shows youths who seek a sense of belonging by joining violent street gangs. The film’s Chinese title refers to the historical juvenile homicide incident it is based on. While the burst of violence at the end of Yang’s Yi Yi may feel gratuitous, here the act of violence is all but inevitable under the forces of family, society, and history.