Pushing Hands (1991) [Film Review]

Pushing Hands; or, Homecoming

     You know, for Dad Tai Chi was a way to escape from reality. Even when he did pushing hands, for him it was a way to avoid other people.

Pushing Hands is the first feature film made by an acclaimed director Ang Lee (yes, the same guy who gave us Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) and Lust, Caution (2007)). Together with the two following Lee’s movies The Wedding Banquet (1993) and Eat Drink Man Woman (1994), Pushing Hands forms an informal Father Knows Best Trilogy which depicts a slice-of-life drama through the conflicts between elderly parents and their adult children.

Release Info

Directed by: Ang Lee Starring: Sihung Lung, Bo Z. Wang, Deb Snyder, Wang Lai

Language: Mandarin, English Original Title: 推手 Runtime: 101 min

 

Synopsis

Mr Chu (Sihung Lung) is a Tai Chi master who arrived from Taiwan in order to live in the U.S. together with his son Alex (Bo Z. Wang) and his family. While educating his grandson Jeremy (Haan Lee), Mr Chu is unable to communicate with Alex’s wife, Marta (Deb Snyder), who is an aspiring writer and desires peace and quiet at home. Mr Chu finds it increasingly difficult to live within Western culture, but he seeks solace in contact with Mrs Chen (Wang Lai), a cooking instructor at a Chinese Community Centre. The family drama escalates to such a degree that Mr Chu leaves the house in order to find luck on his own on the streets of New York.

 

“Why does this American woman only eat vegetables?”

I have seen Pushing Hands for the first time on TV years ago and liked it very much, not knowing that Ang Lee himself was responsible for directing this little gem. Thankfully, I was able to revisit the movie by obtaining the Ang Lee DVD box set which basically is the package containing the above-mentioned movies. Reviews of the other two films will be posted soon.

 

The main father figure character of Pushing Hands, as well as the whole “Father Knows Best” Trilogy, is the late Sihung Lung, a Taiwanese veteran actor brought back out of retirement by Lee. These three motion pictures together with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (where he played Sir Te) show what a magnificent actor Lung was. He sensitively portrayed a martial artist with a traumatic past who experiences a culture shock upon arriving in America. Even though his son evidently loves him, there is too big a break in culture and lifestyle between Mr Chu and Martha. A few funny shenanigans ensue because of that; however, the ultimate consequence of Mr Chu’s “Pushing Hands” is his inability to adjust to a new environment.

 

Although the movie lasts 100 minutes, it touches upon many issues which are important even today like the generational gap, tradition vs. progress or stoicism consumed by urban hustle and bustle. Mr Chu as well as his friend Mrs Chen only want to lead independent and meaningful lives while being denied a proper place in their new country. The hardships of Mr Chu in the third act show a bit stereotypical but still surprisingly unfavourable image of America as the melting pot and the land of opportunity. As a result, the only way for him to get things done is by showing a total resistance to the American way of life.

 

With regard to performances, Sihung Lee is simply flawless in this movie. His performance is enhanced further by those of Bo Z. Wang and Wang Lai. Deb Snyder also does well as the wife, but I do not think that she had a professional background in acting prior to doing Pushing Hands.

 

Recommendations

I highly recommend this film to anyone interested in discovering the early works of Ang Lee. If you like slow but engaging slice-of-life story then this movie is very much for you. The 2015 DVD release has a very nicely remastered picture and clean sound which contribute to the viewing experience. Pushing Hands is a perfect choice for a quiet family evening. Now I’m off to check out the remaining movies from the trilogy.

Overall score: 9/10