电影《推手》中的跨文化交际(英文)

Intercultural Communication in Pushing Hands Pushing Hands is a maiden work of Ang Lee, one of the greatest Chinese directors. It is a film about culture shock and adaption. To some extent, the cultural differences between China and America are presented from different angles in the movie. It’s the movie I have watched by chance that impressed me and inspired my interest in intercultural communication. So I will show what I gained from my own perspective.

The main plot of the film will be introduced as follow: Mr. Zhu, a retired Chinese Taichi professor went to America to live with his son, a computer doctor. Conflicts between the Chinese father and his American daughter-in-law, Marsha, a novelist, appeared and arose in their daily life. Finally, the two sides gradually understood each other’s culture after a painful process.

Many comments and opinions about the film focus on culture shock and adaption that brings about the main contradiction in the movie. Nevertheless, I want to show the contrasts in family values between Chinese and Americans and a new analogy for intercultural communication.

If it was a movie that describes a Chinese student studying abroad, the contradiction couldn’t be the same. What matters is just the identity of Mr. Zhu. He is an old man rooted in the Chinese traditional culture and

the head of the family. In China, a collective country, the old are a social group respected and protected by the whole society. This practice relies on the traditional culture education and moral restraint. The respects we give to the old who are not related with us are cultivated at the basis of the respect and love for our elder. In American culture, they emphasized on individual equality, the symbol of individualism. So people won’t offer extra care and attention to the elder. Relatively, the elder also prefer to choose financial independence and usually live in separate places from their children. So there are some scenes in the film showing the differences.

In the movie, Marsha shouted at Mr. Zhu when he put silver paper into microwave oven within an inch of causing fire. At this point, Mr. Zhu is a little scared, for the reason that his authority as the top of the family, is challenged. However, Xiaosheng, his son, still remember his father’s demand even though he is still angry with his father when Marsha is sent to hospital. When Mr. Zhu gets lost because of Marsha’s carelessness, the talk between Xiaosheng and Marsha can explain the difference to some extent.

Marsha: I was trying to write. I had a feeling that he was gonna get himself lost, just like a kid trying to get some attention.

Xiaosheng: I grew up believing you should care for your parents the way they care for you. My father is a part of me. Why can’t you accept that?