Left-Handed Girl

Play trailer

Poster for

Left-Handed Girl

R

Nov 2025

1h 48m

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

99%

Tomatometer

70 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 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.

Watch on Netflix

Stream Now

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.

Read Critics Reviews

Randy Myers

San Jose Mercury News

Left-Handed Girl tangles with numerous issues as this trio reckons with the past and the present and also with each other.

Rated: 3.5/4

Nov 26, 2025

Full Review

Peter Rainer

FilmWeek (LAist)

It's so well-acted, well-shot, and sensitive.

Nov 25, 2025

Full Review

Claudia Puig

FilmWeek (LAist)

A really wonderful film.

Nov 25, 2025

Full Review

Jared Mobarak

Hey, Have You Seen ...?

Tradition and responsibility are complex concepts and our actions don’t occur in a vacuum. Who we are should mean more than who we "should be." Mistakes happen. It’s how you respond that matters.

Rated: 8/10

Nov 28, 2025

Full Review

Ruchika Bhat

Digital Mafia Talkies

In Left-Handed Girl, the main characters aren’t just the actresses in the leading roles. There’s also the scooter I-Ann rides and the table Shu-Fen makes her noodles on.

Rated: 4/5

Nov 28, 2025

Full Review

Allen Almachar

The MacGuffin

An entertaining and emotionally resonant experience. Shih-Ching Tsou immerses us in a place and culture with tons of empathy and heart.

Rated: B+

Nov 28, 2025

Full Review

Read all reviews

t W

Intimate, beautiful, and a great movie.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/15/25

Full Review

Adam W

AMAZING movie! I felt fully immersed in the lives of the main characters, it was funny, moving and dramatic, showing the how family members are navigating our crazy and chaotic world. All the acting was amazing, and the 5 year old main character was simply astonishing. Must watch movie!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/30/25

Full Review

Sam A

This is such a realistic yet drug inducing slice of life film in Taiwan looking at the lives of different generations of girls.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/29/25

Full Review

Robert C

Relentlessly depressing, with an unearned, tacked-on "happy" ending. Why would anyone want to inflict such a punishing tale of woe on an audience?

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

11/28/25

Full Review

Ian W.

Cut from the Sean Baker cloth, this film was a delight to watch. I loved the multigenerational approach to telling the story, providing just enough to truly care about each member of the family, especially as they feel more and more isolated from the greater extended family. It’s something many families experience, but this films “slice of life” quality really sent the message home. Sean Baker’s ‘The Florida Project’ is one of my favorite films of all time, so it made me happy that his contemporary, Shih-Ching Tsou, would also take a stab at working with a child actress, and I’m glad she did. Her ability to direct Nina Ye was incredible but also maintained the genuine behaviors of a child. “Fish have no wisdom and are dumb” - from my memory, this is a quote from the child, and it’s lines like these that make me happy and have me loving what I’m watching. Besides the solid script, I loved how this film looked. It didn’t settle for the grimy and gritty look and instead found color wherever it could. Given the literal kaleidoscope beginning and ending, I found this to an intentional decision, representative of Nina Ye’s character’s naive and unyielding optimism about life. This is the crux of the film and the breath of fresh air through all of the drama that unfolds.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/25/25

Full Review

Dave G

An original story with plot twists I didn't see coming. Strong performance from the child actress who played the Left-Handed Girl

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/21/25

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Shih-Ching Tsou

Director

Janel Tsai

Shu-Fen

Nina Ye

I-Jing

Shi-Yuan Ma

I-Ann

Brando Huang

Johnny

Akio Chen

Actor

The Brutalist

93%

80%

The Brutalist

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Brutalist

Marriage Story

95%

85%

Marriage Story

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Marriage Story

Nomadland

93%

82%

Nomadland

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Nomadland

Sound of Metal

97%

90%

Sound of Metal

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Sound of Metal

A Little Prayer

93%

93%

A Little Prayer

Watchlist

TRAILER

for A Little Prayer

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

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
Screenwriter: Shih-Ching Tsou, Sean Baker
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

Most Popular at Home Now