Release CalendarDVD & Blu-ray ReleasesTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsIn TheatersComing SoonMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysLGBTQ+ Pride MonthSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Tigertail

  • 20202020
  • PGPG
  • 1h 31m
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
3.6K
YOUR RATING
Tigertail (2020)
A Taiwanese factory worker leaves his homeland to seek opportunity in America, where he struggles to find connection while balancing family and newfound responsibilities.
Play trailer1:47
7 Videos
9 Photos
  • Drama
In this multigenerational drama, a Taiwanese factory worker leaves his homeland to seek opportunity in America, where he struggles to find connection while balancing family and new-found res... Read allIn this multigenerational drama, a Taiwanese factory worker leaves his homeland to seek opportunity in America, where he struggles to find connection while balancing family and new-found responsibilities.In this multigenerational drama, a Taiwanese factory worker leaves his homeland to seek opportunity in America, where he struggles to find connection while balancing family and new-found responsibilities.
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
3.6K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Alan Yang
  • Writer
    • Alan Yang
  • Stars
    • Tzi Ma
    • Christine Ko
    • Hong-Chi Lee
Top credits
  • Director
    • Alan Yang
  • Writer
    • Alan Yang
  • Stars
    • Tzi Ma
    • Christine Ko
    • Hong-Chi Lee
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 42User reviews
    • 68Critic reviews
    • 65Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 nomination

    Videos7

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:47
    Official Trailer
    Tigertail
    Trailer 1:54
    Tigertail
    Tigertail Where Did You Learn To Dance
    Clip 0:58
    Tigertail Where Did You Learn To Dance
    Tigertail Good Looks And Charm
    Clip 0:54
    Tigertail Good Looks And Charm
    Tigertail We Dont Have Kids Yet
    Clip 1:08
    Tigertail We Dont Have Kids Yet
    Tigertail I Never Got That From You
    Clip 0:55
    Tigertail I Never Got That From You
    The Cast of 'Tigertail' Name Their Favorite Films in Asian Cinema
    Clip 2:56
    The Cast of 'Tigertail' Name Their Favorite Films in Asian Cinema

    Photos9

    Tzi Ma and Christine Ko in Tigertail (2020)
    Tzi Ma and Christine Ko in Tigertail (2020)
    Tigertail (2020)
    Tigertail (2020)
    Tigertail (2020)
    Tigertail (2020)
    Tigertail (2020)
    Tzi Ma and Christine Ko in Tigertail (2020)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Tzi Ma
    Tzi Ma
    • Groveras Grover
    Christine Ko
    Christine Ko
    • Angelaas Angela
    Hong-Chi Lee
    Hong-Chi Lee
    • Young Groveras Young Grover
    Queenie Yu-Hsin Fang
    Queenie Yu-Hsin Fang
    • Young Yuanas Young Yuan
    • (as Yo-Hsing Fang)
    Fiona Fu
    Fiona Fu
    • Zhenzhenas Zhenzhen
    Joan Chen
    Joan Chen
    • Yuanas Yuan
    Kuei-Mei Yang
    Kuei-Mei Yang
    • Minghuaas Minghua
    • (as Yang Kuei-Mei)
    James Saito
    James Saito
    • Hankas Hank
    Hayden Szeto
    Hayden Szeto
    • Ericas Eric
    Cindera Che
    Cindera Che
    • Peijingas Peijing
    Muyi Chen
    Muyi Chen
    • Chih-Haoas Chih-Hao
    • (as Mu-Yi Chen)
    Zhi-Hao Yang
    • Child Groveras Child Grover
    Hai-Yin Tsai
    • Child Yuanas Child Yuan
    Lynn Masako Cheng
    Lynn Masako Cheng
    • Child Angelaas Child Angela
    • (as Lynn Cheng)
    Li Li Pang
    • Yunxiaas Yunxia
    Che-Hao Chang
    Che-Hao Chang
    • Kuomintang Soldier #1as Kuomintang Soldier #1
    • (as Che Hao Chang)
    Chen-Che Lai
    • Kuomintang Soldier #2as Kuomintang Soldier #2
    Chung-Jui Chang
    • Yuelu Resturant Waiteras Yuelu Resturant Waiter
    • Director
      • Alan Yang
    • Writer
      • Alan Yang
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

    The 'Tigertail' Cast Name Their Asian Cinema Picks

    The 'Tigertail' Cast Name Their Asian Cinema Picks

    Tigertail writer/director Alan Yang is joined by stars Tzi Ma and Christine Ko to name some of their favorite films for you to check out in Asian Cinema.
    Watch the video
    Image caption not available
    2:56

    More like this

    A Sun
    7.6
    A Sun
    The Forty-Year-Old Version
    7.2
    The Forty-Year-Old Version
    Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
    6.9
    Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
    Miss Juneteenth
    6.5
    Miss Juneteenth
    We Love You
    3.1
    We Love You
    White Dad
    The Half of It
    6.9
    The Half of It
    Breathe
    Breathe
    Never Rarely Sometimes Always
    7.4
    Never Rarely Sometimes Always
    The Life Ahead
    6.8
    The Life Ahead
    On the Rocks
    6.4
    On the Rocks
    Minari
    7.4
    Minari

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      All of the flashback scenes were shot on 16mm film while all the present day scenes were shot on digital.
    • Connections
      Referenced in The Darkest Timeline with Ken Jeong & Joel McHale: The 2010 Guys Choice Awards (2020)

    User reviews42

    Review
    Top review
    A simple story to put social distancing in its right place, not in a pandemi, but in humanity.
    Writer-director Alan Yang has absorbed the full measure of auteur Wong Kar Wai, whose lovingly intimate In the Mood for Love is my litmus test for modern Asian cinema at its best. Although Netflix's Tigertail may be more realistic than Mood, it captures a middle-aged Ping Jui (Tzi Ma) romanticizing his past as he struggles to connect with his estranged daughter, Angela (Christine Ko) in the present.

    Do not look to this drama for an eye-popping American love story, for it is Asian in its restraint and its lyrical understatement. After facing deep disappointment as an immigrant to America with his arranged wife, handsome Ping adjusts to the realities of life and the boredom of his marriage.

    Salving his despair are the images of his former love, Yuan (Joan Chen), whom he left to go to America on his factory boss's dime and with the boss's daughter as bride. Although American romances often end with a pleasant alignment, Yang does not indulge us on such fantasies.

    Tigertail smacks us with the vagaries of immigration, not the thorny process the news underlines today but rather the disappointment an immigrant might experience as he watches his American dream collapse under the weight of a reality check that includes substandard housing and menial jobs.

    The latter part of Tigertail is about the glacial change that comes to Ping after his mom dies, his wife leaves him, and he must try to connect with Angela, unaccustomed as he is to saying anything much of anything to her. His Asian paternalism and cold restraint make communication challenging.

    The painful reunion is the strength of the film: Most of us have at least one family member we should reach out to, but we may lack the willingness or interpersonal skills. Yet, those skills can come slowly but surely as we face them to overcome them.

    Tigertail is a small drama filled with humanity, superior acting, and enviable cinematography. John Ford would be happy to see how Yang honors him with a final shot that recalls the famous frame shot in The Searchers. Tzi is no John Wayne, but they share characters with a remoteness that plagues cultures and families for all times.

    As we struggle with the pandemic's demand for social distancing, Tigertail shows the effects of it in everyday real life.
    helpful•2
    0
    • jdesando
    • Apr 26, 2020

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 10, 2020 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official site
    • Languages
      • English
      • Min Nan
      • Mandarin
    • Also known as
      • Hổ Vĩ
    • Production companies
      • MACRO
      • Netflix
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 31 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39:1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Tigertail (2020)
    Top Gap
    What was the official certification given to Tigertail (2020) in Brazil?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    View list
    List
    The Best Movies Coming This Summer
    See the full list
    Image caption not available
    2:02
    LGBTQIA+ Movies and Shows to Watch This Summer
    Watch the video

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.