My first Edward Yang film, which I chose to watch because I had seen some people on the Criterion subreddit raving about Edward Yang. I'm blown away.
This film has all of the trappings of an epic movie - a three hour runtime, numerous interweaving plots and characters, and, above all else, consistently breathtaking visuals on every level. I think part of me is still apt to like a movie more if it has great visuals even if the rest of the movie doesn't hold up, and I think this movie may feel to some as if the visuals outpace the rest of it because its scope is completely different from most epics. Most films this sweeping and minutely detailed and, well, lengthy, are about tumultuous periods of history with great wars or storybook romances thwarted by cruel fate. This one follows three members of a very average Taiwanese family as they each encounter difficulties in their life. They are all basically kind-hearted people who aren't without their shortcomings, but their lives often seem tumultuous and without a clear direction. I don't want to spoil anything because I think you should really watch this movie, but I am going to list a few visual things that Edward Yang does an INCREDIBLE job of throughout the movie.
1. I've never seen any movie make better use of reflections in glass.
2. Shots that show us a very large area, but we know exactly where in it we're supposed to be looking
3. Shots where the main characters are in the foreground but there are lots of interesting things going on with the extras in the background
There are loads more. This is a beautiful movie. I think people who are looking for cinema that will unnerve or alarm or deliberately challenge convention might think this style is uninteresting, but I absolutely love it.