Farewell My Concubine - Movie Review Example

Farewell My Concubine Art and literature always provide a great reflection of culture and society. And particularly, films make the most out of it. There are innumerable Asian films that engage with the contemporary discourses of gender and sexuality in particular. Focusing on globally recognized Asian films with the theme of gender sexuality, the film taken for discussion is Farewell My Concubine, a Chinese drama film directed by Chen Kaige. The reason for the film to be of significant importance is its centrality among the works of the Fifth Generation movement, which brought the Chinese films and filmmakers to the attention of the world. The film explores the prominent effects of Chinas political turmoil on the lives of individuals, families, and groups during the mid-20th century. The film is actually an adaptation of the novel by LIlian Lee and is credited as the only Chinese-language film to have won the Cannes Palme dOr to date. The discussion provides a brief analysis of the film with respect to its portrayal of LGBTQ characters and how the issues are represented. Furthermore, the concept of queer theory is discussed with the film’s representation of LGBTQ issues. The film Farewell My Concubine presents the lives of two individuals, Cheng Dieyi and Duan Xiaolou in a Peking opera troupe, who are subjected to tremendous challenges in their training environment. Dieyi is coerced into acting of women role of dan with Xiaolou, leading to their love affair. Despite their hardships, the two boys reach popularity and go for the national fervor at Beijing. However, Xiaolou starts courting Juxian, a headstrong courtesan at the House of Blossoms, and his relationship with Dieyi is at stake. The film is centered on this triangular love story, involving Dieyi, Xiaolou, and Juxian, and how their complex relationships affect their lives. On betrayal of his love, Dieyi turns to be addictive but is rehabilitated by Juxian’s efforts and are reunited after few decades of constant struggle in the politically devastated society. In the end, both Dieyi and Juxian face the fate of death, mirroring the fall of Chinese society in the hands of communists. The story is set in the backdrop of an emotionally charged social setting, where the viewers are able to visualize the onset of the Second Sino-Japanese War and the oppressive communist rule. The complexity of the characters and their conflicting relationship is screened to reflect the political upheavals of the Chinese society in the mid twentieth-century. The structure of the film provides the historical context of the time period then and explores multiple themes including gender, sexuality, love, and individual identity. The film totally depicts the half-century of turbulent Chinese history and politics – the emergence of the Republic, warlord era, Japanese invasion, Communist’s victory, and the devastating Cultural Revolution. The symbolic representations of the film to the then society of China can be witnessed at various instances. The fighting for power and exploitation of the weak reflects the convulsions in the Chinese economy produced by the combats for position and power after the Japanese government’s withdrawal from China. The hardships of the two boys are identified to be illustrating the frustrations and predicament of the Chinese people because of the political turmoil existed in the then society. Juxian is objectified for China’s fall after a surging economy and her tragic end symbolizes the loss of hope for China’s future as it is being taken into the control of the communist liberation forces. The film is greatly regarded for its sharp analysis of the cultural and political history of China. One of the primary themes in the film is sexuality and gender identity. Though Dieyi is male, he is performing the function of a woman in the context of the movie. He has been coerced into acting feminine roles and has to give up his male identity for the sake of the troupe’s success. Because of his true nature, he is unable to identify with the role and has a hard time playing the roles, which is evident in his practice sessions while reciting the lines, “I am by nature a girl, not a boy”. However, he is violently forced into acting with female connotations, and this makes him difficult in identifying his sexuality between the Opera world and real life. His struggle of adapting to femininity gradually starts reflecting in his real life character, and consequently draws him into seeking for gay relationship with Xialou. The transformation within Dieyi is not solely based on his own desires or sexual preference, but the violent process of molestation and coercion in his life had forced to adapt to the female identity, and to give up his own masculinity. Another way that the film represents sexuality and LGBTQ issues is through portraying the character of Dieyi as a homosexual individual. His identification in the act as a woman role-player has contributed to his reluctance in moving with the homophobic stereotypes of the society. However, he is not open in his gender identity and sexuality indeed, and is neither confident of his homosexual identity, as he tends to hide his own preferences from society and sometimes even from himself. He is engaged in confusing inner struggles, fueled by the tuff turmoil he faced with the society. Most importantly, the fact that he plays the role of a woman has led him into accepting the common societal prejudice of coherence between femininity and homosexuality. In that direction, it can be assumed that his takes on the female identity has bestowed him into becoming a gay. The LGBTQ characters and issues presented in the film is capable of identifying with the stigmatization and hardships that homosexuals in the modern Chinese society are to endure. The film also shows up the attitude of solidarity towards homosexuals and created a cinematic image that is free of any kind of discriminating stereotypes. However, the film falls short in portraying this aspect with much needed clarity and ends up incapable of holding the position of solidarity. This is mainly because of the directors’ portrayal of homosexuality in a more abstract and detached manner. A gender conscious viewing of the film would shed more insights into its representation of LGBTQ characters through the culturally familiar aspect of Peking Opera. The movie follows a fairly stereotypical representation of LGBTQ characters and this could be analyzed with the queer theory. “Queer politics and theory – its assertion of and search for nonnormative, the destabilizing of gender, the rejection of heteronormativity is an already configured set of interpretations that may add little to the analysis of sexual and gendered systems in specific Asian locations.” (Sinnott, 2010). When it comes to analyzing homosexuality and queer theory from the perspective of China, it is evident that Chinese cultures of gender and sexuality are different from the West as they are prehomosexual and prequeer. According to this theory, close examination and interpretation of the socially constructed nature of sexual identities are made, focusing on ‘natural’ and ‘unnatural’ homosexual behaviors encompassing any of deviant activities associated with it. Since this theory is grounded on sexuality and gender representations, it aptly fits to analyze this film. The specific concepts taken into analysis for this film include socially constructed nature of sexuality and natural orientation of gender identity. On analyzing the film from these three perspectives it is clear that sexuality is a socially constructed concept that can be subject to change. In Chinese culture, sexual ideneity “often ties to individualized deployment of sexuality to define a gendered, lifestyle, embodied post-class identity.” However, “Gendered/sexual self is still a social product, but becomes more individualized.” (“Self, Socialization, & Transformation”). Even though natural orientation of an individual determines the sexual identity of theirs, social forces play a major part in shaping the attitude into maturity. It can be evident from the life of Dieyi that sexuality is most probably a socially constructed aspect as he is coerced by the social forces, particularly the Opera troupe training, into his accepting a feminine identity. When his natural orientation shows up involuntarily in his dialogues, he is violently oppressed into consenting to the feminine role that he is assigned to. This leads to his feminine adaptation and homosexual nature. Moreover, the molestation that he encountered at a troupe traumatized him internally, causing him to fuddle with his own natural orientation and sexual identity, subsequently expressing a homosexual desire. In the film, “the postulation of a longstanding ‘tolerance of same- sex desire’ in China promises to make it analytically impervious to the universalizing pretensions of queer theory.” (Liu,2010, p.297). The status quo of homosexuals in Asian countries is still not improved and the Chinese film represents this tendency aptly. Though the film reflects the sufferings of homosexual individuals, counteracting the faulty perceptions of the society, the implications to contemporary society is less obvious. On analysis of the film with Queer theory, exploring the interrelationships of homosexuals, it indirectly contributes to the socially constructed sexuality in contrast to the innate sexual orientation, which is subject to change. “Same-sex articulations bespeak widening social hierarchies within the Chinese same-sex community, while simultaneously symbolizing heightened attention to ways of speaking identity in terms of individual rights, freedoms and desires.” (Ho, 2009, p.83). References: Ho, Loretta Wing Wah. Gay and Lesbian Subculture in Urban China. Routledge, 2009. Kaige, Chen. “Farewell My Concubine.” Miramax Films, 1993. Liu, Petrus. “Why Does Queer Theory Need China?” Duke University Press. Fall 2010. Sinnott, Megan. “Queer Theory & Asian Studies.” PPT. “Self, Socialization, & Transformation.” PPT. Read More