People in the United States cannot help themselves.
"People in the United States cannot help themselves." This is the biggest feeling I had after watching the movie "Gua Sha", which was favored by insiders. As the picture progresses and the story unfolds, the experiences of a Chinese family in American society emerge before our eyes.
Focus on details
From an artistic point of view, it is not difficult to see. The director fully utilized the narrative potential of the film rather than the deliberate arrangement of the plot. The cultural differences between China and the United States are highlighted in every detail. These details are completed through the characters' facial expressions, gazes, dialogues, actions, etc. The frame that supports the entire film.
At the beginning of the film, the game software designed by Xu Datong won the award. He excitedly told everyone: "I love America, and my American dream has finally come true!" Outside the awards hall, there were people who accused computer games of being too violent. Demonstrators; Quinlan's son and Xu Datong's son Dennis had a conflict and refused to apologize. Xu Datong slapped Dennis in public; when they entered the apartment after picking up their father from the police station, the guards looked at them suspiciously. All this became evidence against Datong at the subsequent hearing. Xu Datong worked hard in the United States for eight years, and the United States gave him success and glory. However, the scraping therapy of traditional Chinese medicine, which is very traditional in China, quickly pushed him to the opposite side of the United States. It made him want to return to China with his family and live a "peaceful and peaceful life." This change seems to be a conflict between Chinese and Western cultures, but it actually reflects an issue that deserves more attention: cultural reflection. The Chinese regard children as private property, and they can show respect for their boss Quinlan by beating Dennis, but Quinlan cannot understand the Chinese's "messy logic." Americans, on the other hand, regard children as social wealth. After mistakenly believing that scraping was an act of abuse, he decisively isolated the child from his parents and continued to collect evidence. The purpose is still to ensure that children are protected from harm.
Focus on family love
After watching this film, Americans discussed the most about the relationship between father and son with a Chinese sentiment. A relatively profound emotional relationship is depicted between the father and son, Datong and his father, and Datong and Dennis.
In court, in order not to prevent his father from applying for a green card, Datong lied and admitted that he had done the scraping; in order not to worry his father, he and his wife hid the truth together; in order to give his son a Christmas gift, he risked his life Danger climbs to the ninth floor. The airport scene in the film is quite exciting. As he bids farewell with tears in his eyes, he wants to go to the Welfare Bureau and "steal" his son to return to China with him. While the three generations of grandparents embraced each other passionately, his father calmly persuaded his son to stay. On the way to send Dennis back to the Welfare Bureau, Datong played a game with the police car that was chasing him, just to let his son enjoy a few more moments of fatherly love.
In the rented cabin, the separated Jian Ning and Datong got drunk and called themselves MOTHERFUCKER. This scene nakedly revealed their inner pain, and this pain was only because of scraping. This traditional Chinese medicine method, which is extremely common in China, has caused the disintegration of a family in the United States.
It is not difficult for us to feel the deep family affection in the film. However, Datong's mistake was to abuse his son. This charge is simply unbelievable. It reflects the legal gap in the United States that does not rely on facts. The American lawyer hired by the prosecution described Sun Wukong in "Journey to the West" in court: "Others have planted peaches for nine thousand years, and he picks them and eats them without saying hello to the owner. When others stop him, he not only He didn't listen to the dissuasion, and even went out to destroy other people's peach orchards. He took the pills that others had worked hard to make and ate them. He also beat the owner to a bloody head, and before leaving, he also destroyed the other people's production workshop - "Such a savage and mischievous monkey was actually portrayed as a hero by Xu Datong in a video game..." to prove that Xu Datong, who immigrated to the United States, has violent tendencies. His "dedication" makes people question whether his purpose is to protect children or to break up other people's families.
The contradictions throughout the play are constantly beating the audience's mind.
Do people really have no control over themselves in the United States? Why was a harmonious family thrown into such disputes by this incident for no reason? Is this the essence of the so-called American spirit? Or is it just a small episode in the game of American society?
Taking culture as the reference
Director Zheng Xiaolong said: "The cultures of different countries and different nations are not good or bad. There is not even a distinction between high and low. However, the culture of a nation Cultural awareness and cultural tolerance are very important things. An American audience said to me: 'A nation without culture and cultural inheritance is a shame.'"
This film explores this from various angles. It reflects human character and dignity, and is in line with the criteria for excellent films to focus on people. Chaplin always believed that "tragedy and comedy are actually inseparable." Although "Gua Sha" adopts a Hollywood-style happy ending, the play is always filled with tears and laughter. The element of paying attention to people in American culture seems extremely pale at this time. This is explained by the apartment security guard: "If I had known he could crawl, I would have let him in." And Jian Ning is confused about Kunlan and Datong. Why the father's answer when admitting Gua Sha: "Because he is Chinese" also highlights the cultural differences between China and the United States.
What is moving about the film is not only that it reminds people of cultural differences between countries and reminds people to conduct cultural introspection, but also lies in its delicate and touching story. At a time when Chinese films are generally confused between commercial value and cultural connotation, its appearance heralds the point of intersection between the two.
If someone at home loves sports programs, NBA is a must-watch. As time went by, my ignorant Lao Zhang asked me, what is Yao Ming like? Lao Zhang often saw this new Chinese rich man sweating profusely on the court, a little clumsily. I, who also don’t know much about sports, thought about it and replied, Yao Ming is probably the representative of the new generation of Chinese people. I don’t know what his IQ is, but his EQ must be high.
This judgment comes from many clips of interviews he gave to the media (mostly American reporters). He looks calm and witty, not playful yet friendly. When faced with the paparazzi's tricky questions, he quickly avoids landmines and throws his opponents far away with humor and ferocity. Yao Ming, who keeps making witty remarks, is well versed in being an American. It is a strategy for people to please reporters and audiences in front of the media without losing their status. Perhaps due to long-term coping experience and training from his agent, Yao Ming is not only proficient in English, but his way of thinking has also become extremely localized.
Globalization is eroding every corner, including the proud and wealthy United States in the twentieth century. Yao Ming is luckier than the previous generation of immigrants. Growing up in a civilized China, soaked in European style and beauty, they did not need to carry too many bags of traditional values, nor did they need to be baptized by too many Westerners' surprised looks. They did not have the opportunity to taste the painful taste of transformation in order to integrate in a foreign land. . In my opinion, the movie "Gua Sha" is densely covered with this kind of pain.
The protagonist Xu Datong, a new immigrant, has been in the United States for eight years and worked hard with the American dream in mind. He finally succeeded as a video game programmer and was recognized by his boss (symbolizing the mainstream American cultural class) and friendship. The movie opens with Datong delivering an acceptance speech in a typical American tone at an industry celebration. From the content and tone of his words, it can be seen that he loves and appreciates the United States and is confident in his future in the United States. In the United States, as long as you work hard, you will definitely get ahead. Datong believes that he is still a part of this country and is no longer a stranger in a foreign land. He, his wife Jian Ning, and their son Dennis insist on speaking English at home, even if their father, who doesn't understand English at all, is present, in order to allow the next generation to successfully enter private schools and become the elite of American society as soon as possible. They also talk like ordinary middle-class Americans, they are polite, say the same love words, and make the same jokes. However, tests followed one after another.
Datong brought his father to live with him in the United States, but Dennis's back was exposed to the eye-catching red bruises left by his grandfather's scraping. These "scars" that are shocking to Americans are just well-known self-therapy to Chinese people. Unfortunately, Xu Datong was charged with child abuse and was not allowed to see the child. But he could not prove to the court that scraping was a legal medical treatment, because the United States did not have the time or interest to slowly understand the cultural roots of the other side of the earth. It only acted according to its own judgment.
In the lawsuit to get the child back from the authorities, contradictions exploded like firecrackers, leaving behind smoke and confetti, which are the so-called cultural differences and American self-centeredness. Tough arrogance. They forced Datong to admit that they are still Chinese at heart.
For example, Dennis hit his boss's child in the game. Datong asked his son to apologize but failed. In order to educate the child and because he could not stand down in front of the boss and his family, he beat his son. He thinks this is giving face to his boss, respecting his friends, and teaching his children well. Grandpa also agreed when he saw it: "Teach your son in front of you, teach your wife behind your back." "Hitting is love, scolding is love. If you don't hit or scold, you won't be successful." Americans (including Dennis, who grew up in the United States) firmly insist that fathers who beat their children are evil, and fathers who beat and scold their children out of respect for others are even more unreasonable.
In addition, as a technical elite, Datong may not have many opportunities to fully contact the real society, which puts him at a disadvantage in subsequent lawsuits. He was not familiar with legal procedures (i.e., the rules of the game), could not provide strong evidence, and refused to hire a professional lawyer in family law but insisted on hiring a copyright lawyer, a friend he trusted, to represent the child's case and defend himself. The opposing lawyer is good at this and accuses Datong of having violent tendencies - the video game hero Sun Wukong designed by Datong steals fairy peaches and destroys alchemy furnaces. According to Western values, he ignores his responsibilities and arbitrarily infringes on private property, which is a typical hooligan act. . In order to win the case, this skilled lawyer deliberately took "Journey to the West" out of context, maliciously misread it, and described the resisting heroes as scoundrels. Datong didn't know that the other party had designed a trap to anger him, and he lost his mind. At the same time, he also lost a great opportunity and fell into a disadvantage...
Although the Eight Spring and Autumn Period can make people learn a lot, even though the ending of the movie is Yun Kai The moon is bright, the comeback is perfect, but the blood and family ties of the wanderers in a foreign land are questioned by others, and their identity is also greatly affected. I don't feel it is a good feeling at all.
"Gua Sha" is an excellent film with a true and pure storyline that makes people feel moved and move them to tears. The film interprets family affection, love, friendship and the desire and yearning for social harmony in the world. At the same time, the failure of cross-cultural communication due to cultural differences is also vividly shown. The story takes place in St. Louis, a city on the Mississippi River in the middle of the United States. The male protagonist Xu Datong has been in the United States for eight years. He has a successful career and a happy family. As a game developer, the sales of newly developed games are smooth. At the annual industry awards conference, He excitedly told everyone: I love America, and my American dream has finally come true. However, something happened next that woke him up from his dream. His son Dennis had a fever and stomachache. His grandfather, who had just arrived in the United States, used the traditional Chinese medicine "Gua Sha" to treat his grandson because he could not understand the English instructions on the medicine bottle. This happened to be evidence that Xu Datong abused his children after a minor accident. Unexpected witnesses and testimonies one after another in court made it difficult for him to defend himself, and he eventually lost custody of his son. In order to allow his old father who was about to return home to see his grandson, Xu Datong broke the law and "stolen" his son from the children's welfare home; in order to let his son return to a happy home, he was forced to separate from his wife; in order to snatch it back to his son In order to reunite with his family on Christmas Eve, he fought almost crazily with the robbers; in order to reunite with his family on Christmas Eve, he risked being thrown to death and resolutely climbed up the pipe to his home on the ninth floor...scenes one after another are heart-pounding. Aftertaste for a long time and think deeply.
The differences between Chinese and Americans shown in "Gua Sha" not only concern the laws and moral standards of China and the United States, but also touch on many issues such as legal principles, concepts, and even the theory of traditional Chinese medicine. Due to the differences in time and space, there are differences in culture and concepts between China, the United States, and East and West, which then manifest into behavioral conflicts. From a time perspective, the difference is mainly manifested in the contradiction between a country's tradition and modernity; from a spatial perspective, the differences between China and the West are caused by geographical, historical, political, economic and other reasons in various countries, and are manifested in the national tradition. Spiritual background, cultural background, philosophical background, etc. Therefore, when analyzing the film, we cannot just stop at the specific storyline, but must analyze it from the larger cultural background, historical traditions and other aspects.
Let’s first look at the origins of culture. First of all, China and the West have different philosophical views. The West advocates rationalist positivism, and its medicine-anatomy is also based on this. In terms of this kind of philosophical thought, it is impossible to understand the orally transmitted meridian theory of "Gua Sha"; and the characteristic of Chinese philosophy is "the unity of nature and man", which is to explore the relationship between nature and human beings. Confucianism emphasizes humanistic morality and teaches people how to behave; Taoism emphasizes the evolution of the universe and teaches people to adapt to nature.
In the video, we can see that in the court, when Xu Datong told them the principles of "Gua Sha", the behavior of the Americans present was that the judge could not understand his defense and thought he was talking nonsense. None of the defense attorneys could understand him in this regard. Secondly, in terms of consciousness, China values ??group consciousness, the value of the whole, and believes that people should contribute to family and society; while the West emphasizes individualism and pursues personal freedom, free thinking and choice. In the film, we can also see how Xu Datong and his wife painfully concealed the truth of the matter in order not to worry his old father; how he "stole" Dennis from the children's welfare home with great difficulty in order to allow his old father, who was about to return to China, to see his grandson. out. Chinese people attach great importance to family ethics. They value everyone's position in family society and emphasize the concept and feelings of family. Because Western culture has always respected the concept of individuals, they have received "independent spirit" education since childhood, and their relationship with their families is relatively weak. American parents respect their children's freedom of movement and allow their children to develop freely within the scope of general principles. Thirdly, the Chinese people’s thinking mode is comprehensive, recognizing the universal connection between the whole and things, and pursuing the perfect unity of man and nature. The Western thinking mode is analytical. The formation of this kind of thinking cultural group is more formal, and the distribution of rights, responsibilities and identities is orderly. Therefore, to Chinese people, American thinking seems cold and impersonal; while Westerners think that Chinese thinking is vague and unclear.
Let’s look at the differences in conceptual culture, which are deep-seated cultural differences, such as people’s values, ways of thinking, social mentality, aesthetic concepts, etc. A person can live in another culture for a long time, master its language and understand its customs, but may not understand some parts of its values. Xu Datong is a living example. Because in terms of deep culture, Xu Datong still represents traditional Chinese culture, which is specifically reflected in aspects such as his outlook on life, his outlook on family, and his outlook on friends. In terms of outlook on life, Americans like to face facts, express their opinions, and have reliable information. From this we can see that Americans deal with issues based on facts and discuss matters as they arise. In the face of facts, Chinese people's favor seems to be more important. In the video, we can see how convincing the evidence listed by the Child Welfare Bureau in the court and the witnesses invited are, although it seems a bit unbelievable to the Chinese; and what Xu Datong narrates is just How much he loves his son, but there is no strong evidence; there is another detail in the film, that is, two children were fighting, Xu Datong slapped the child in front of Quinlan, and later he said to Quinlan: "I Beating children is to show respect for you and to give you face." This involves the attitude of the East and the West towards children. The Chinese regard children as private property. If they are born to me, they belong to me. Although Xu Datong believes that hitting children is a sign of respect for friends, in Quinlan's view, hitting is illegal, no matter who is being hit. Americans believe that parents and children are equal. Parents rarely decide anything for their children, but let them rely on their own strength to fight. In terms of the concept of friends, Eastern and Western cultures also contain different meanings. Edward Stewad & Milton Bennet discussed American friendships this way: "Although Americans maintain many friendly informal relationships, they rarely have the kind of deep and long-lasting relationships. The ideal state is American-style friendship, built on People choose their friends on the basis of spontaneous, mutual attraction and warm personal feelings, and at the same time, they separate friendships from social or work obligations." In China, the situation is different. What matters when making friends is that the longer the time, the better, and the more obligations you assume, the better. The ideal state is to go out of your way for your friends and go through fire and water without hesitation. Chinese people have high expectations for their friends. If they have difficulties, they should help them with all their strength. When Quinlan testified that Xu Datong had beaten his children, Xu Datong accused Quinlan, "I have always regarded you as a friend, but you betrayed me in court!" But Quinlan felt aggrieved and confused: "I just told the truth. "Integrity is one of the most basic virtues of Americans. If you ask an American to lie, it is equivalent to asking him to give up his basic values."
While showing the differences between China and the United States, the film also expresses a yearning for cultural convergence and cultural integration.
From Quinlan walking through a china shop in Chinatown and trying "Gua Sha" for himself; from Xu Datong escaping danger, the police and residents downstairs burst into thunderous applause; from the home where he climbed to the ninth floor, Kunlan's family and children The leader of the welfare home congratulated him on being happy and welcomed him home. The audience seemed to see that Westerners had passed the barriers between Chinese and Western cultures and began to approach Chinese traditional culture. In the end, the true love of the world defeated everything. Although the ending of the story is perfect, we must not ignore the cultural differences. This requires us to strengthen communication and communication. We hope that in the near future, a "Great Harmony" world will really appear in front of us!