Did you know Netflix has a movie made for left-handed people?
Anyone who grew up left-handed knows the drill and the “taboos” that come with it. Even today, someone in the family acts like your hand is possessed while your teachers give you that concerned eyebrow raise, and peers insist you switch because “it looks better.” It is a whole cultural phenomenon at this point, and if you have ever been the lone lefty in the room, Netflix now has a film that will make you feel hilariously and painfully relate.
Left-Handed Girl takes the story of a child who is being told her dominant hand is “evil” and turns it into a whole emotional journey about family, identity, and the pressure to fit into traditions you never asked for. The film comes from director Shih-Ching Tsou, who based it on her own experiences growing up in Taiwan. So the tone feels deeply personal, like you are watching someone peel back old family memories and turn them into a story with lots of emotional weight. In short, it is more than just being a lefty.
What makes the movie stand out is how much of it happens in the silences. It is not a dramatic shouting-match kind of family drama. It is the smaller things: a mother who is too tired to say what she feels, a sister who wants freedom but never stops looking out for her sibling, and a little girl trying to understand why everyone treats her hand like it is a problem that needs fixing. The film uses these spaces to show how families love each other and frustrate each other at the same time.
Now that it is streaming on Netflix, a whole new crowd is discovering it, especially people who grew up with strict family expectations or a sense that tradition always comes first. If you were the lefty kid hiding your hand during schoolwork, this movie is for you.
What is the plot?
The story follows I-Jing, a young girl who moves back to Taipei with her mother and older sister. One afternoon, her grandfather watches her and immediately scolds her for using her left hand. He calls it “evil”, which terrifies her. She starts wrapping it so she will not use it, and when she does end up shoplifting small trinkets, she insists the “devil hand” is responsible, not her.
Back at home, her mother, Shu-Fen, is trying to restart their life by running a noodle stall in a crowded night market. Money is tight, emotions run high, and the pressure to keep everything afloat weighs on her constantly. I-Jing watches all of this from the background, while taking in every tension-filled interaction and trying not to cause any more trouble.
Her sister, I-Ann, adds another layer. She is older and rebellious and believes that she’s stuck in a life she did not choose. She works at a betel nut stand, snaps at her mother often, and protects I-Jing in her own way.
Who is in the cast?
Nina Ye plays I-Jing, and she brings the character’s innocence and sensitivity to life in a way that feels instantly believable. The director found her just a month before filming, but the match is so natural that it feels like the role was written for her.
Janel Tsai plays Shu-Fen, the exhausted single mother trying to hold everything together while barely holding herself together. Shih-Yuan Ma steps into the role of I-Ann, the older sister who tries to break free from tradition while still carrying her own emotional scars. Together, the three actors form a believable, layered family portrait.
Is there a trailer available?
Yes, the trailer for Left-Handed Girl is available to watch online and gives a clear sense of the film’s mood. It is filmed in real Taiwanese spaces like cramped apartments, narrow alleys, and night markets. It sets up the emotional tone without giving away the deeper themes, and that’s what makes it so much more than just being a film about left-handers.