Left-Handed Girl

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Left-Handed Girl

R

2025

1h 48m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

98%

Tomatometer

108 Reviews

82%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

A single mother and her two daughters return to Taipei after several years of living in the countryside to open a stand at a buzzing night market. Each in their way will have to adapt to this new environment to make ends meet and maintain the family unity. But when their traditional grandfather forbids his youngest left-handed granddaughter from using her "devil hand," generations of family secrets begin to unravel.

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Critics Consensus

A warm tour through Taipei distinguished by its lived-in cultural specificity and relatable family dynamics, Left-Handed Girl is a winning first solo feature from writer-director Shih-Ching Tsou.

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Ty Burr

Ty Burr's Watch List (Substack)

Dec 8, 2025

3/4

Pungently filmed, with a haunting central performance by Tsai as the mother.

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Deborah Ross

The Spectator

Dec 2, 2025

It’s one of those films where the stakes don’t appear that high, yet we become so attached to this family and their survival it will all matter a great deal.

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Natalia Winkelman

New York Times

Dec 2, 2025

Expressive visuals and evocative scenes, including one involving an overactive meerkat, make “Left-Handed Girl” a memorable family affair.

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Mauricio Jarufe Caballero

Cinencuentro

Feb 17, 2026

...The Left-Handed Girl stands out especially for its inspiring, surprisingly optimistic outlook, its sense of spectacle, and its sense of humor. [Full review in Spanish]

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Javier Ocaña

El Pais (Spain)

Jan 30, 2026

The script has a few too many clichés...But the exquisite taste in shots from the girl's point of view, the sympathy the characters show despite their understandable irritation, and the formal charm of the imagery are captivating. [Full review in Spanish]

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Rubén Téllez Brotons

El antepenúltimo mohicano

Jan 30, 2026

4/5

A solid work that is not afraid to look at the world through the eyes of its protagonist [Full Review in Spanish]

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Maeling

Dec 19, 2025

Wish it was in English language

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t W

Nov 15, 2025

Intimate, beautiful, and a great movie.

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Tim G

@tmgreene22 Sep 5, 2026

"The Florida Project" in Taipei.

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Dani G

@RT81139271 Aug 1, 2026

A simple but touching story with its dose of comedy without taking it too far

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Par H

@Parhwy Jul 20, 2026

Left-Handed Girl (2025) is a 109-minute-long Taiwanese drama I saw on Netflix in July 2026. This film is so interesting. It’s almost – almost yet not quite – a unnarrated documentary. Mother, daughters, come to Taipei to start a new life. The camera is so interesting, the way it sometimes sits low (or high or behind or beside) and close like a mute, invisible friend, and at other times square on… and seventeen other angles and frames besides: all work, none clash. The music when the title character, I-Jing, is being naughty is brilliant. There is almost no humour however I confess I darkly laughed when I-Jing’s pet ‘escapes’ and the incident ends up on the news (even now, picturing the family watching the news with stunned faces, is making me laugh). I came away from this film thinking, "Well, this feels like life" (meaning, the situations, scenes, locations, interiors, acting felt authentic yet insightful). Rewatch? Maybe. Recommend? Yes. 8/10.

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Lanfranco C

@Lanfrancobz May 27, 2026

After the tempest there is the quiet.

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Shih-Ching Tsou

Director

Janel Tsai

Shu-Fen

Nina Ye

I-Jing

Shi-Yuan Ma

I-Ann

Brando Huang

Johnny

Akio Chen

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Synopsis

A single mother and her two daughters return to Taipei after several years of living in the countryside to open a stand at a buzzing night market. Each in their way will have to adapt to this new environment to make ends meet and maintain the family unity. But when their traditional grandfather forbids his youngest left-handed granddaughter from using her "devil hand," generations of family secrets begin to unravel.

Director: Shih-Ching Tsou
Distributor: Netflix
Production Co: Through the Lens Entertainment, Le Pacte, Cinema Inutile, Good Chaos, Left-Handed Girl Film Productions Company
Rating: R (Sexual Content and Language)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Chinese
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 14, 2025, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 28, 2025
Runtime: 1h 48m

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