wedding banquet

Hertha 2022-03-23 09:03:04

Finally finished watching "The Wedding Banquet", which has long been said to be a must-see for gay movies. As Li Anyang's famous first work, the biggest feature of the film is to deal with the homosexual issue with the unique Chinese family ethics and moderation concept, and to solve this social problem that can be said to be plagued by all traditional families in a comedy way that is almost helpless. This way of handling and viewing homosexuality is oriental, and similar views can even be found in Chinese classical novels. But this story happened in the most prosperous and modern city - New York, the contrast between classical and modern, the conflict and tolerance of old and new ideas. Maybe choosing to use homosexuality to express dissatisfaction with the traditional patriarchal culture is to increase the intensity, but it is like a curse engraved on the forehead of every Chinese. There must be an explanation for parents, relatives, and all the so-called responsible people. The traditional cultural concept of "being married" is getting tighter and tighter in this seemingly peaceful comedy story.
"I thought the Chinese were all docile and introverted math geniuses." At that terrible banquet that was so typical that it surpassed our usual banquet, a foreigner could not help but marvel after witnessing the guests' all kinds of madness, confusion, filth, and absurdity. . I couldn't help laughing when I saw this, maybe, as Ang Lee's own guest guest said: "You are seeing the results of five thousand years of sexual-repression."
Hmm. in a word. impartial.
Sex has always been an embarrassing and taboo topic in China. On the one hand, it is regarded as dirty and ugly as an actual act, so it is taboo and hard to talk about; on the other hand, as a tool, it is extremely upright and high-sounding, so that "unfilial piety has three things and no successors." So that the ancient kings and even people who still have patriarchal thoughts today always have three thousand beautiful wives and concubines in groups.
Between these two extremes lies the Confucian ethics based on blood kinship.
Gay Gao Wei's parents in Taiwan did not know that their son was gay, and they kept urging Guowei to get married soon, so as to inherit the incense of the Gao family. It happened that Gao Weitong's apartment was borrowed by Gu Weiwei (Jin Sumei), an illegal female immigrant from the mainland, so Simon came up with an idea: let Weitong and Weiwei get married. This not only appeased Wei Tong's parents far away in Taiwan, but also enabled Gu Weiwei to get the green card he coveted, and also maintained the cohabitation relationship between Simon and Wei Tong.
The seemingly perfect solution turned into a ridiculous farce.
The matter of inheriting the lineage seems to be a supreme ceremonial pavilion built in mid-air, but the actual sexual behavior required for reproduction and reproduction is so so-called humble and shameful. Can't help but fall into a paradox: the emperor's planting ceremony can deceive oneself and pray for a good harvest, but no one can give birth to a child without having sex.
Five thousand years of sexual repression, no matter how hard and how difficult it is, maybe only the wedding banquet is the best release. Under the cover of the festive atmosphere, no one has to bear the responsibility of moral corruption, and everything is as it should be. At the wedding banquet, people’s repressed desires are flooded, and newcomers are required to perform meaningful games. The tradition of bullying the bridesmaids is nothing more than a small-scale sexual indulgence, while the finale of the bridal chamber is full of perverted performances of desire, and the guests are shameless. The newcomer acts as an exhibitionist voluntarily or not, a public sex game, and no one can see his own ugliness - even uglier than the so-called dirty homosexuality.
At the end, Gao's father confessed that he knew about homosexuality, but in order to "hold his grandson", he chose to pretend not to know the truth. Who is sacrificed? A lover who can't get blessings, a wife who can't get love after getting a green card, or a child who hasn't been born yet? Did the son deceive the father's expectations, or did the father deceive the son's filial piety?
It is not denied that there is a need for moderate deception in life, but it is so extreme, I am afraid that it really confirms Mr. Lu Xun's assertion - "hiding and deceiving", is not only the spirit of Ah Q practiced by the Chinese, but also an overview of the spirit of traditional culture. So in a system of lies weaving, various elements constitute a harmonious and balanced coexistence. This may be some kind of sadness of Chinese culture, but it may also be the subtlety of Chinese culture: the truth is obtained by believing, and then the truth is given to others by deceit with good intentions. So how real is this truth?
False and true and true and false. The whole film outlines the cruel sins of human nature with a gentle and relaxed tone.
Could it be said that a marriage can be transformed from a curve to a straight line, alleviating the irreconcilable contradiction, just like the scene: Gao Weitong had already turned right or returned to the straight road. The truth is that everyone knows, and everyone doesn't know that others know.
On the contrary, Weiwei finally chose to keep the child, regardless of whether it was due to the touch of motherhood or some other accidental reason, which made people feel the slightest warmth in all kinds of helplessness. After all, life is expected to be warm and beautiful. She shows the strength and independence of women in the new era, and does not rely on men to survive. To a certain extent, it is a demonstration of dissatisfaction with the traditional patriarchal society where fathers are respected by their husbands. On the other hand, his father's sentence "The Gao family will thank you." It seems quite vulgar and low. Such traditional Chinese culture was suddenly eclipsed and defeated without a fight.

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Extended Reading

The Wedding Banquet quotes

  • Justice of the Peace: Okay, now you: "I, Wee-Wee..."

    Wei-Wei: Wee-Wee.

    Justice of the Peace: "... take you, Wai Tung..."

    Wei-Wei: Wee-Wee.

    Justice of the Peace: Okay. "To be my wedded husband... to have and to hold..."

    Wei-Wei: Holding to have, husband, mine...

    Justice of the Peace: "... for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer..."

    Wei-Wei: Better and richer, no poorer.

    Justice of the Peace: "... in sickness and in health, till death do us part."

    Wei-Wei: Till sickness and death.

    Justice of the Peace: Groovy. Rings.

  • Mrs. Gao: [about Wei-Wei] What do you think?

    Mr. Gao: She'll make a lot of babies.