Blog Post # 5 : Eat Drink Man Woman (1994) : Review

This film, released worldwide in the year 1994, was the first ever box office success of famous Taiwanese director Ang Lee. The film received the Asia Pacific Film Festival Award for Best Film in 1994, and in 1995 it received an Academy Award Nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. IMDB rates this film 7.8/10 and Rotten Tomatoes a whopping 93%.

Movie Review Blog Caption

Plot :

The setting is 1990s contemporary Taipei, Taiwan. Mr. Chu, a widower who is a master Chinese chef, has three unmarried daughters, each of whom challenges any narrow definition of traditional Chinese culture. The oldest daughter, Chu Jia-Jen, is a school teacher nursing a broken heart who converted to Christianity. Chu Jia-Chien , the middle daughter, is a fiercely independent airline executive who carries her father's culinary legacy, but never got to pursue that passion. Lastly, Chu Jia-Ning, the youngest, is a college student who meets her friend's on-again off-again ex-boyfriend and starts a relationship with him. Each Sunday Mr. Chu makes a glorious banquet for his daughters, but the dinner table is also the family forum, or perhaps “torture chamber,” to which each daughter brings “announcements” as they negotiate the transition from the traditional “father knows best” style to a new tradition which encompasses old values in new forms.

Analysis & Reflection :

First of all, the name of the movie, "eat drink man woman" as explained in a scene in the movie by Mr Chu, referred to the natural basic desires of man, in this context 'eat' referring to meat, and 'drink' to wine, while 'man woman' referred to sexual desires. All these could be classified under 'physiological or biological needs, according to Maslow's hierarchy of needs. It is the basic form of needs humans have in order to survive, and should be viewed as a natural occurrence, hence the meaning of the movie's title. 

Sexual desires are a part of life

In this movie, there were many key points that set it apart from the rest, for example, the father, Mr. Chu, started off as a typical Chinese man and father. But, as the story developed he was seen to be not as traditional as the stereotypical traditional Chinese father in classic Chinese movies. This was seen with how he faced with his first and third daughters' relationship when Jia-Jen and Jia-Ning blurted out the news from nowhere during their usual Sunday banquet dinner. After they confessed to having a baby and being already married, he calmly wished them well and saw them off to their new life with their new partners. A typical Chinese father would have forbidden their daughters from having a relationship with another unknown person. Mr. Chu's reaction to the situation was portrayed as silently accepting and him giving his blessings to them out of love.

A baby? Is it a son?

The Chinese would usually express themselves through body language, facial emotions, and the action of concern to each other which makes us behavioral interdependence instead of affective interdependence. Therefore, we usually take for granted for what has been there without much interest until one expresses what was really inside their hearts. One of these was shown by the interaction with the first and second daughter while washing plates. Biologically a male, it would be harder for a man to read the emotions of a woman, but Mr Chu manages to understand his daughters feelings and emotions towards his food and also does laundry for his daughters, which in Asian culture, is rare.

The things I do for love :')

To me, the most heartwarming father to daughter relationship theme in the film was how he wakes every daughter up before and after his morning jogs. I believe after seeing all his daughters settled down and having their own family and goals, he, himself decided to pursue his own future by announcing his unexpected relationship with Jin-Rong. Knowing about the Holland project (Jia-Chien's Amsterdam promotion), he made up his mind to sell the house and led a new life where I believe it was to make Jia-Chien less obliged to him and strive for a better future.

Go. Live your life.

All in all, Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory would explain the heavy aspect of culture in this film, in terms of the difference in culture contrasting to the stereotypical norm. The ecological theory explains that each individual is affected by their 'systems' as they develop into adults, and as mentioned before above, Mr Chu is a man who goes against the stereotypical norms of the Chinese culture; hence, there is reason to believe that Mr Chu raised his three daughters with his values, and that formed their current personality as well. 

Conclusion :

This movie is a heartwarming one, consisting of various themes like filial piety, the value of family, love and sex, and the beauty of food. Thus, watching this movie when one is terribly hungry is not advised. :)

YUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

Rating : 7.5/10