With the development of Chinese film industry, there was a
surge of outstanding female directors appeared gradually since ‘70s in the Mainland
China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Compare to the coetaneous male directors, they
gave exquisite and implicit descriptions to female characters, placed them in
each particular historical and political environment, focused on their subtle
inner world. On the other hand, the female characters they created were considered
as symbols and epitomes to stand in for suffering of their nation, role models
for those positive and inspirating women who share the same situation with
them.
The best director winner of the Asia film award Ann Hui is
the one of representatives of the contemporary Chinese film industry. Most of
her works are feminist topics since her first film <CID> in the year
1977. When we looked back to her personal life path: bored in the Mainland
China, moved to Macaw when she was 2 months old and then moved to Hong Kong at
5. Her mother was Japanese and she didn’t know about it until around 15 years
old because of the sensitivity after world war 2. These are appearing in her semi-autobiographical
film <Song of the exile> in the year 1990.
The story is linked by two clues: 25-year-old Ann and her
mother. “After the Sino-Japanese War, Kwei Dz, one of the family members of
Japanese soldiers accepted a Chinese officer's proposal and remained in China.
Later they had a daughter named Ann. The officer went to Hong Kong to work,
leaving Kwei Dz and Ann in Macao. Kwei Dz, unable to communicate with her
in-laws, much less accept their ways, became remorseful. Yet the worst problem
she had was that Ann did not accept her as a mother. After Ann got a Master
Degree in UK she went back to Hong Kong. Kwei Dz had been feeling very homesick
for her mother country and decided to take Ann and return to Japan. In Japan,
Ann began to understand her mother's pain because she did not understand Japan
or the Japanese. Later a telegram from Canton arrived saying that Ann's
grandfather had had a stroke. Upon seeing her to grandfather, Ann realized
that, in spite of his now frail body, a body once tortured by Red Guards, he
was so hopeful for China's future. Ann saw that China was now trying to find
its own ...” (1.)
“Diaspora” is one of the key words in this film, as well as
the society at that time. Ann’s mother is a foreigner; she sacrificed
everything she had in Japan for a plea from a Chinese soldier, but the result
is not what she expected. Because of the cultural difference and
miscommunication, she’s not accepted by the in-laws, not mention to be respected
and loved by others. The indifferent environment unconsciously influent her
personality on the foreign land, she turns to be anxious and insecure, not
shows her emotions even to her own daughter (she used to put herself in danger
for saving her brother’s kid). After her husband died and the younger daughter
gets marred and moves to Canada with her husband, the loneliness and insecure
feeling expends and she is so scary that no one will be there for her any more,
so she decides to go back to Japan. The situation also happens on Ann and her
sister; Ann got her master certificate of film in London but couldn’t get an opportunity
to work for the BBC only because she is “not local”, Ann’s sister has to move
to Canada for her husband. Although the situation was not like ‘40s and ‘50s
any more, the invisible oppression from the patriachical society didn’t alleviate
since the time changed. Due to the unstable political situation and the subtle
relationship between Hong Kong and the Mainland China, women on both sides were
struggling to seek for a better environment for living. The demands for women
were enhanced but the society was fail to give them corresponding treatment
they deserved. Despite of “ Ann” in this film, Maggie Zhang also gave an excellent
performance of a girl who goes to Hong Kong from Mainland China for a chance to
live a better life in the film “Almost a love story”. Although the two
characters have nothing in common in regards to backgrounds, educational level
and attitudes to life, they do share the same social ideology：Fighting with the male
ascendance as well as looking for the value of themselves as “the essential” and “ the obsolete”
rather than “ the other” . “Reunion” runs through the whole film, after be
exiled for decades Ann’s mum finally goes back to Japan, rebuilds the
relationship with Ann while this journey, women of the two generation finally
starts to understand each other, the connection is getting closer.
Bibliography
1.
Storyline from IMDB website http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099927/
Reference
1.
http://news.sina.com.cn/o/2010-09-10/122018095249s.shtml
(20/03/13)
3.
“ Imagining a woman’s world: roles for women in
Chinese film” Carolynn Rafman
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