Tigertail
Netflix | Release Date (Streaming): April 10, 2020 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
65
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 19 Critic Reviews
Positive:
11
Mixed:
8
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
San Francisco ChronicleCary DarlingApr 10, 2020
Tigertail, mostly a period piece that’s also a well-wrought portrait of a man closed off from life whose despair is etched in every line on his face, isn’t satiric or comedic in the slightest. Read full review
88
RogerEbert.comSheila O'MalleyApr 10, 2020
Tigertail floats back and forth between the present and the past, an effective device that creates comparisons, often painful, between Pin-Jiu's hopes as a young man and the disappointments and hardships of the years following. Read full review
83
IndieWireEric KohnApr 10, 2020
Yang infuses his earnest, semi-fictionalized story (inspired by his own father’s experiences) with the evocative narrative traditions of modern Asian cinema, from Wong Kar Wai to Edward Yang, resulting in a rich and intimate atmosphere at every turn. While the movie doesn’t achieve the narrative mastery of its influences, Yang’s first feature has a touching emotional through line grounded in authenticity. Read full review
80
Rolling StoneDavid FearApr 10, 2020
It would be unfair to fully explain Tigertail‘s last act, though you may be able to figure out where this gentle, heartfelt tale is going to wind up. All you need to know, really, is that it ties everything you’ve seen together, the title takes on new meaning and the film exits on what is, for my money, one of the single greatest last shots in recent memory. Read full review
80
Screen RantSandy SchaeferApr 10, 2020
Anchored by Yang's sensitive direction and a Tzi Ma performance teeming with life, Tigertail is romantic, thoughtful, and heartbreaking all at once. Read full review
75
Original-CinLiam LaceyApr 13, 2020
As an ersatz arthouse pastiche, Tigertail is crafted with care. Nigel Buck’s cinematography effectively registers the different time periods and locations, and Michael Brooks’ plaintive score balances Pin-Jui’s taciturnity. On the negative side, the film’s hopscotching flashbacks can be confusing and there’s a lot of stylistic spin for what amounts to a prosaic family drama. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Barry HertzApr 10, 2020
Yang’s deeply personal, imaginative work is very much its own creation, just as much as "The Farewell." Or any other movie whose producers knew that audiences are hungry for diverse stories. That representation matters as much as story and style and performance. All of which, by the way, Tigertail has in spades. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubKatie RifeApr 10, 2020
Where the film stands out from other dramas of its type is in its poignant exploration of the little-discussed emotional consequences of single-mindedly pursuing the American dream. Read full review
74
PolygonKaren HanApr 11, 2020
Ma’s performance remains a rich source of color and emotion; the thinness of Angela’s character, on the other hand, becomes a pall hanging over the movie. Read full review
70
SlashfilmHoai-Tran BuiApr 13, 2020
It’s a love letter, full of scribbles and crossed out words, and parts of which are more eloquent than others. And while Tigertail is a messy and somewhat incoherent love letter, it’s one filled to the brim with that a sincere love and emotion nonetheless. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesGlenn WhippApr 10, 2020
What distinguishes “Tigertail” is the way Yang explores Pin-Jui’s earlier life as a means of showing how duty and obligation brought him to that place. And as Yang takes us on that journey with him, he also offers a low-key lesson for redemption — examine the past to escape regret. Read full review
60
Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternApr 10, 2020
Mr. Yang’s story unfolds with decreasing velocity; in the latter stretches patience is required, though amply rewarded. Read full review
60
The GuardianPeter BradshawApr 10, 2020
A sombre, well-acted film about sacrifice and regret. Read full review
50
The Associated PressJake CoyleApr 16, 2020
Tigertail comes off more as an idea of an arthouse movie than one propelled by its own volition. Read full review
50
Movie NationRoger MooreApr 11, 2020
This isn’t Netflix’s “The Farewell,” which would be expecting too much. But it’s not too much to expect a more revealing and rewarding story than this. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeTy BurrApr 10, 2020
It’s tempting to see Tigertail in the tradition of the Ingmar Bergman classic “Wild Strawberries,” with its emotionally constipated hero looking back over a lifetime of mistakes and missed connections. But the comparison only highlights Yang’s weaknesses as a first-time feature director: flat dialogue that mistakes subtext for text, glacially paced scenes that lack dramatic momentum, stolidly unimaginative camerawork, and a central character so unsympathetic that you end up siding with his ex-wife and daughter. Read full review
50
The New York TimesKristen Yoonsoo KimApr 10, 2020
Spanning more than half a century, Tigertail goes back and forth in time, tracing the events that allowed Pin-Jui to achieve his American dream yet made him so aloof to his loved ones. It does this to mixed results. Read full review
50
VarietyPeter DebrugeApr 10, 2020
It’s courageous of Yang to share such a tribute to his father, though the most important things remain unspoken. Read full review
40
The Hollywood ReporterInkoo KangApr 10, 2020
Its structure is so meager it's downright skeletal. Read full review
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