English
Pushing hands is a film that entails one man’s attempt to reconcile his past life and predicament with his current life and disposition. The film entails the collision between cultures and lifestyles of the east particularly china and the west.it also explores the plight of the Chinese people and the oppression they endured during the communism era. The title of the film also brings out the artistic and poetic prowess of the film maker. The title refers to a martial arts technique which requires someone to back down or surrender when faced with superior force that they are incapable of matching or defeating. Perhaps the title was alluding to the fact that one old Chinese man could not stand up to western culture all by himself and it was therefore wiser for him to surrender to the seemingly superior and unstoppable force that is indeed western culture.
The film tells the story of an old Chinese man called Chu. He moves from china to New York City to live with his son and his Caucasian wife. He is attempting to revive his family which was forced to separate when he sent his son to America to ensure his safety during the days of communism. The situation gets awkward when Chu tries to fuse or rather force his Chinese culture on the Caucasian wife of his son. Chu has a tendency of watching Chinese shows with a rather high volume and practicing his tai chi in an unusually loud manner. This rubs his daughter in law the wrong way because she is a novelist and is currently working on her latest novel. Needless to say a quiet, peaceful and serene environment is pivotal for a novelist to bring out their ideas in a logical way and inspire their artisticism. The situation quickly escalates and Chu is confronted by his son and proceeds to spill his guts to say the least. He sheds light on the oppression he endured in china and the pain he is still undergoing due to the tragic loss of his life. Deep down he is just an old man who wants his family back and really misses his wife and views forming a strong relationship with his son as one way of honoring her memory and ensuring that she lives on through them.
I like the comical aspect of the film. Chu can barely speak any English and watching him try to communicate with his daughter in law is nothing short of entertainment at its best. I also like the juxtaposition of Chinese culture and western culture in the film.it is really insightful into the world of Chinese culture and the various values the Chinese hold dear. The film clearly brings out the fact that traditional Confucian Chinese philosophy is based on communal life and welfare and the basic unit of the community is the family thus close family ties are very important and are high focus points in Chinese culture. The film also shows how contemporary mainstream culture is more inclined towards the individual. Westerners value individualism more than any other social convention. They have relegated close family ties and communal life and welfare to the sideline.no one cares about the community anymore it’s just me! me! me! This film gives a clear comparison of the two cultures from both points of view and leaves the task of distinction on which culture is better and which one is outdated at the discretion of the audience. This is nothing short of artistic genious.it manages to compare two completely different cultures yet avoid stereotypes and slurs associated with each culture.
I however dislike Chu’s apparent incapability to come to terms with the death of his wife and the circumstances that led to her death. He is dragging her memory wherever he goes even to extents of dishonoring, in my humble opinion, her memory and this is preventing him from moving on to the next phase of his life. Whether this is a personal trait of Chu or whether all Chinese people grieve the same way in the eventuality of death however remains a matter of debate with the film doing little in terms of disambiguation of this matter. I also dislike the loneliness that Chu feels while living with his son. He is in a house living with other people but he seems to be more alone than he has ever been in his life.no one around him seems capable or rather willing to relate to his situation and predicament and offer much needed solace to the old man. This is in a way the wet blanket while watching this movie as it arouses deep emotions chiefly sad and sobby ones.
The film pushing hands is a classic example of film expertise at work.it clearly displays the work of a motion picture maestro. The film has a sad underlying story which is perfectly blended and coalesced with the various comical aspects of the film. The audience is therefore capable of relating to the plight of the characters while at the same time have a good decent laugh and by all means enjoy all aspects of the movie.
Works Cited
Pushing hands. Dir. Ang Lee. Perf. chu. Roadshow Entertainment, 2005. DVD.
"`Pushing Hands': In-Law Trouble." The Washington Post [washington] 9 June 1995, 7 ed., sec. 3: 4. Print.
