Charlie Chaplin, Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, and Lady Gaga are just some of the world’s most beloved lefties, and now the titular heroine of Shih-Ching Tsou’s Left-Handed Girl joins their enviable ranks.
Creating a defining narrative for lefties was not necessarily filmmaker Tsou’s goal, but the family drama has struck a nerve with audiences who find a personal connection to I-Jing, the film’s 5-year-old left-handed protagonist. I-Jing is brought to life by young performer Nina Ye, who was also born left-handed. “It’s really surprising to me because there’s so many people after screenings coming to me to talk about their left-handed story, [whether about] their siblings, or themselves, or their parents, even grandparents,” says Tsou.
In the film, which has been selected as Taiwan’s official selection for the Academy Awards, I-Jing, her single mother, and her older sister return to Taipei after living in the countryside to be closer to their elders, opening a noodle shop to make ends meet. There, after I-Jing’s traditional grandfather scolds her for using her “devil hand,” generations of family secrets begin to unravel.
The project comes from a personal place for director Tsou, who also co-wrote the film with frequent collaborator Sean Baker (Anora). “I once told Sean that my grandfather told me not to use my left hand because it was the devil’s hand — and that moment planted the seed for Left-Handed Girl,” she says of the film’s inspiration. Yet the “devil’s hand,” seen as unlucky and sinister for centuries around the world, is a commonality shared by many cultural icons and beloved artists.
The Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh and the German composer Ludwig van Beethoven were not only definitive titans in their fields but also shared the status of being left-handed people. Some royals, like King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, led as lefties, as did eight US presidents. Two of the Beatles — Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr — along with Jimi Hendrix and Lady Gaga brought iconic melodies to life using their left hands. Julia Roberts, Robert De Niro, Julianne Moore, Will Ferrell, Rashida Jones, and Jennifer Lawrence are just some of the revered performers who can all claim membership in the left-handed club.
Nina Ye and Shih-Yuan Ma in Left-Handed Girl.
While historically seen by society as a bad habit worth correcting, left-handedness is just another attribute that differentiates a person, rather than defining them. In Left-Handed Girl, an unconventional family comes to welcome each other’s differences and eccentricities as a means to deeply connect and support one another, finding freedom in acceptance. “[In the film], we try to tackle that ‘left-handed’ is not just about [being] left-handed. It’s about being yourself, being different from other people,” reflects Tsou. “I think we want people to be heard, to be healed after they watch the movie. They will come to feel like they will love themselves more.”
