American Girl (2021) User Reviews

totally recomneded

[deepudp · 8/10 · 13 July 2022]

I just so loved the plot and narration.

Each of the characters did justice to their roles and it all just came out to perfection.

A perfect blend of emotions, family bond, sibling love, social and surrounding situations and a lot more.

Well written film

[kaymariej · 8/10 · 5 March 2022]

I loved the film scenery and background of this story, I felt deeply connected with the characters and understanded the emotions they were going through in each scene.

slow and not to the point

[melodyso · 6/10 · 7 March 2022]

I appreciate its attempt to bring out the complex daughter-mother relationship and the struggle of returning to one's own origin. I do relate to the elder daughter's anger.

It's just unnecessary long and without much happening... I would like to know more about the family's back story like how they decided to move to the US, what happened there and why did the parent decided to get married.

Like a story that every family encounters

[hisashi-leon · 7/10 · 8 March 2022]

American Girl with Seven Nominations at the Golden Horse Awards In fact, there is not much innovation in the structure of the story.

It also happens to be almost the time when I want to go out of society.

The time point of experiencing a SARS Said to be some nostalgic props scenes and music (such as Jay Chou's music) I personally think it's still too little resonant Also because of the current living environment It still exists to this day Honestly Jay Chou's old songs The song was really annoying to hear in Taiwan back then Now in China, every capital is a classic song Songs or covers can be heard everywhere But in fact, at that time we I've heard it for a long time without feeling (even forgot the names of many songs)

Although the starting point is the perception of a big girl Meet friends from studying in the United States I have to go back to Taiwan to start a new life In fact, even my friends are like this Most are unwilling And the Chinese in the past were able to have friends Or finally can be integrated into some groups I really don't want to start over again (friends also mentioned their feelings back then) Most are still marginalized in the United States And when you come back to Taiwan, you will be punished by Taiwanese people.

The Difficulty of Thinking You're Self-righteous When You Come Back from the U. S. Going to the United States to really rich people?

The elders who passed away when I was a child It's also a blank past and started to do it with nothing.

There are not many surprises in the acting of the little girl in the play Or rely on Lin Jiaxin's acting tension to string other people's performances The plot part is actually a problem that everyone will encounter The relationship between husband and wife gets along to maintain the whole family How to deal with the relationship with the child I also chose the time when the child just entered the rebellious period How do children view this home?

Express your ideas in a way that contradicts your parents The ending is a little too fast There is no space for people to extend their imagination.

A great story with real emotions, honest conversations, and a family that fails to communicate their love for each other

[dailybluehead · 10/10 · 22 March 2022]

TL;DR: I cried the entire movie and am thankful for having the opportunity to see this film and the story it shared.

SHORT NOTE: The important parts of this movie for me were some of the smaller conversations. Some say that the film is slow, but I hope as a watcher you decide to notice the small details of these characters. The non-verbal communication is so crucial to this story. The slow pace is purposeful to draw out the emotions in each character.

Full review (contains examples but not spoilers of the film):

We may all try to step into the shoes of the protagonist and watch this story as if it were our own. Instead, I felt like these were my shoes being walked in by someone else. I do want to clarify that Fen's story is different from mine, but there is a lot of overlap and a deep connection to how everything is told. My own mother was always weak and sick ever since I can remember. We sometimes had discussions about her being ill and the "what-if" questions about death. I recall the fights my parents had about it, money, and more. I appreciate the ability of this film to show these perspectives. Even the feelings and emotions we regret having, the ones we try to ignore and forget. Fen does not shy from showing the honest and hurtful words that end up being used against your loved ones. The conversations these characters have are so accurate to the struggles of communicating during hard times. Each family member has their own legitimate concerns, but it feels like a war of who's in more pain. You can see it in their eyes, the sighs in their breath, and the attempts of them trying to say more.

Watching this movie, you get a third perspective on the family and their actions. Wishing that if they would all communicate more that everything would be better. Not the case. There is one scene in particular that sticks out to me. The scene of them entering a westernized diner to me is like a dream. Primarily because everything takes a pause. All their problems are left at the door before they enter this place. Fen gets to feel like she's back in the U. S. again, while, Ann gets the ice cream she has been longing for from Dairy Queen. Even the mother gets a small victory of being able to reconnect with her daughters. She lets her kids get anything on the menu, even though we're aware she doesn't have much to spend. We get to clearly see this mother is trying her best and would do anything for her children (that's within her power). Sadly, outside of this scene Fen believes her mother "can do better". But given the third perspective from Ting, she responds by asking "what if this is her best"?

As a kid, like Fen, I often found it difficult to still feel listened to when our problems were less that of our parents. However, our ignorance gets the best of us, and sadly and we hurt each other more than we need. This story felt personal to me and I appreciate the writers/directors and cast for telling such a good story in such an honest way.

Film Review: American Girl (2021) by Fiona Roan Feng-i

[sinkazama82 · 7/10 · 29 February 2024]

Semi-autobiographical story of director Fiona Roan Feng-i, "American Girl" had 10 nominations at Golden Horse, getting awards for 5 (Cinematography, Audience Choice, Best New Director, Best New Performer, FIPRESCI) in one of the most successful movies of 2021, which eventually found its way to Netflix.

The story takes place during the 2002-2004 SARS outbreak. Fen Liang and her sister Ann have to return to Taiwan from the United States with their mother, Lily, after she is diagnosed with breast cancer, in order to seek help from her husband, Huay. The two girls, even though they speak Mandarin, find it quite hard to adapt to the new environment, particularly Fen, who had already successfully adapted to the previous change, becoming a straight A student in the US, and now has to change her ways once more, even though she is only 13. Their mother's medical treatment is quite harsh and takes a toll on her, and expectedly, on the family, while father Huay tries to balance all the issues, but also finds it quite hard.

Although not sure how many of the elements of the story are based on reality, Fiona Roan Feng-i definitely places her protagonists in a setting that can only be described as impossible. It is not just the moving to another country, which is always quite hard, and even more for kids, it is also the fact that four people have to learn to live together for the first time, while one of them has a potentially terminal disease in the middle of a pandemic. Expectedly, finding a balance in the midst of these situations is impossible, with Roan revolving her narrative and guiding her drama through them, in order to both analyze her characters and make her audience empathize with them.

Also of note are the differences between the two countries, as presented through two central systems, the health and the education one. And while the former seems to be much better, with Lily getting top notch care constantly without having to pay a fortune, the case is rather different in the latter. It is not only the bullying the two girls experience as outsiders, it is also the way the Taiwanese system is almost specifically grade-centric, with the students placed in an actual hierarchy solely based on their grades. Fen, who already has some issues with her Mandarin, experiences the whole thing in the harshest fashion, getting from the top in the US to the bottom in Taiwan, while her teacher does not miss a chance to belittle her, not to mention hit her, in a corporal punishment that seems quite common for the time the story takes place in.

At the same time, Fen, who wants to go back to the US, has no one to turn to in order to seek help for her problems, as her sick mother is also experiencing various stages of depression, and her father is just trying to keep the family afloat financially. That she also has to take care of her sister is essentially the last straw, with the way the whole pressure eventually leads to violence, both verbal and physical, being one the most impactful sequences in the whole movie.

At the same time, it is also the part of the story that finally provides a relief to all the piling pressure, essentially allowing Roan to give a positive message, that, despite their problems, families will always be there for each other. The comment is somewhat romanticized, but at the same time, provides a very satisfying closure to the story that also prevents the movie from concluding as a hardcore melodrama.

Also of note is the way Roan reconstructs the Taiwan of the era, with her presentation being both accurate and realistic, and the work done in the production design and the costumes being top notch. Giorgos Valsamis's cinematography captures the aforementioned through an approach that is both realistic and impressive, with his framing essentially being part of the narrative, and the coloring mirroring the overall mood of the movie. Zekun Mao's editing results in a mid-tempo that suits the overall aesthetics, while at 101 minutes, the movie does not overextend its welcome in any way.

The acting is also on a very high level. Caitlin Fang as Fen is exceptional in a rather hard role that has her being pinned down physically and psychologically almost constantly, and her delivering with a sense of measure that is usually found in much more experienced actors. Karena Kar-Yan Lam as Lily is also quite good in presenting her deteriorating mentality, while Kaiser Huang as Huay is convincing in both his kind and patient moments and in the ones he loses his temper.

Even if a bit excessive in its drama, "American Girl" is an exceptional movie that shows the difficulties of reverse diaspora in a rather realistic fashion, while carrying enough drama to deem the movie quite entertaining.

Well-written, realistic and emotional film

[microwavedmac · 10/10 · 29 October 2022]

This is a family drama that is realistic and relatable, at least for me. I resonated deeply with a lot of the main character's experiences - from the deep love-hate mother-daughter relationship and the bond between the sisters, to Fen Liang's stubbornness and intense emotionality. Watched it with my mum and she could "totally understand the feelings of the mother".

A couple of reviewers have noted that the film is quite slow but I feel like the pace, camera angles and scenery make it feel as if the audience is only spectating the real lives of the family, instead of being served some hyper saturated plot-driven story. I respect that it might not be everyone's cup of tea though. All in all, I thought it was a cinematic and greatly truthful film.

captured the essence of a mother- daughter relationship

[koolkathy-30288 · 10/10 · 27 July 2022]

This film is exactly what it's like. Most accurate depiction of mother daughter relationship i've seen on film thus far. Extremely well written, draws you in. I cried many times. It's just so well done it's so moving PLEASE WATCH.

Cinema Omnivore - American Girl (2021) 7.9/10

[lasttimeisaw · 8/10 · 16 July 2022]

"Unlike THE FALLS's glossy patina and beneficent ideation, AMERICAN GIRL goes for the jugular in dissecting a nuclear family's internecine strife and support, with a sideswipe leveling at Taiwan education system's approbation of the outmoded corporal punishment. Fen's "American girl" tag is more a source of discrimination than something she can boast of, one of the examples evince Roan's crystal-clear discernment of Fen's predicament. Dexterously shot by Giorgos Valsamis within finite space, AMERICAN GIRL's cinematography reflects an alluring veracity on top of a rich textural substrate, it helps to ease its audience into the the family's early 2000 milieu like a charm. Tellingly, one cannot over-stress the accomplishment of the cast, especially Lam and Fan, grappling with the heavy-lifting with cracking efficacy and potency, Lam's pent-up emotion crackles consistently from scene to scene whereas Fan pulls off the cardinal challenge where a misty-eyed Fen communing with an intractable white horse like a real pro."

-

Poor emotional relatability

[junehikki · 2/10 · 7 March 2022]

Spoiler alert: The story starts with a solid premise but the emotionality never caught up. Truth be told I couldn't make it past the half way mark because the main character was too annoying. Good acting but the script presented her aloofness and indifference to her mothers diagnosis as an egotistical reflection of her "Americanness". No matter how she hated leaving her friends and life in America there is a huge chasm to bridge to her stoicism towards her mother, even when her sister asked if mom was going to die. The film did not fully explain this part and makes it very difficult to pin it on teenage angst or separation anxiety with her friends. Yes, it's a huge change but hardly anyone would go and blame another for having cancer. This film had potential but lacked character development to sustain the premise.

Painful, slow journey that never reaches its destination

[qui_j · 1/10 · 5 March 2022]

This is a low budget movie that plays like some sort of vanity project. The scenes are like snippets of someone's memory, but played in a random sequence so that the resulting product makes no sense at all. The movie was just a total and complete waste of time with nothing to recommend it at all.

Good story Poor casting

[ks-60500 · 5/10 · 6 March 2022]

When a father and mother got that look and find someone cast their daughter with totally different look, whole thing become less convincing to me. Story is not bad with all the drastic change for a teenage who move back to Taiwan, just find someone more alike and less mean look would make audience to buy more this movie.

Not worth your 100mins

[garymok · 4/10 · 24 March 2022]

Very ordinary story that everyone would experience, yet no resonance would be generated with audiences due to the extreme annoying performances of the actress. Acting as a mom, the actress was being unrealistically emotional that would make audience wonder if she is acting an psychotic patient as well.

Simple and common plot + slow pace story telling style by director + insensible performance by actress = surely not worth your time.

This film got a major casting flaw

[housearrestedever · 1/10 · 12 March 2022]

As reviewer ks-60500 pointed out, it's quite painful to watch two children from the parents totally looked so different from them without any possible genetic trace appeared on these two young daughters. The kids looked more like adopted or more like foster kids.

The screenplay also got many flaws albeit the snail-crawling like pace. The education system in Taiwan nowadays severely prohibits any harsh punishment from the teachers to their students. Whipping punishment has been forbidden and considered a crime punishable by Taiwanese civil law. Yet this film still ridiculously showed such illegal punishment done by the teacher to the students. That female teacher in this movie is not a teacher but a thug-like monstrous, completely unqualified, uneducated fat ganster woman who was cast just for the purpose to worsen the horrible classroom nightmare for the female kid students.

This screenplay shown us is so weak and boring as always and often from Taiwan. The writer seemed to completely ignorant about the immigration status between US and Taiwan. It just conveniently crafted to suit its writer to build a family and society situation but completely unrealistic. The dialogue also felt very unnatural and pretentious, a typical Taiwanese screenplay writers problem that never had been improved so far.

AKA: Foreigners, Don't Send Your Kids to America

[grimes-ron · 5/10 · 17 April 2023]

At first, i thought this movie ended oddly and that the writer only had half an idea in mind for a movie without a clue how to end it properly. However, after some reflection, I realized the movie isn't really for American audiences. Rather, it is a foreign movie made for foreign parents considering the idea of sending their kids to America in hopes their child will be more successful with more opportunities. Instead, the movie shows that what you get back is a spoiled, disrespectful, disobedient, back-talking little brat who is at the bottom of her class - for which an obviously inferior American education system is to blame.