Whale Rider

Whale Rider tells the tale of Paikea Apirana as she attempts to overcome resistance to take her place as the next chief of the Maori people in her village. The film encompasses a number of themes, including the tensions between customary culture and the modern condition, mythology and origin stories, post-colonial race and indigenous politics in the Pacific, whilst also shining a light on gender, tradition and change.

"My name is Paikea Apirana, and I come from a long line of chiefs stretching all the way back to the whale rider."

Dissonance, Thou Art A Cruel Mistress

A major portion of the film sees the characters struggle to reconcile their actions with their beliefs and motivations. According to Festinger’s (1962) theory of cognitive dissonance, an individual experiences psychological discomfort when they possess contradictory beliefs, when they act in a way that contradicts their beliefs, or when they are presented with new information that contradicts their existing beliefs. In order to reduce the resulting discomfort, people tend to reject new information and situations that are likely to increase their dissonance. This is most clearly illustrated through Koro’s actions. Although he believes that a male heir is necessary for the continuation of their people, there are instances in which his affection for Paikea is displayed.

A moment of displayed affection before Paikea is to leave with Porourangi

Festinger’s theory postulates that this creates a sense of mental distress within himself which people seek to alleviate through one of four ways: 1. Changing one’s behaviour or attitudes, 2. Changing their conflicting attitudes to justify their behaviour, 3. Introducing new attitudes to justify their behaviour, 4. Ignoring information that contradicts their existing attitudes.  In the film, Koro initially reduces his cognitive dissonance by distancing himself from Paikea after she decides not to leave with her father and choosing not to recognize her strengths and capability as the next leader. When she bests Hemi with the taiaha, Koro does not praise her hard work or talent at the skill, instead reacting negatively, reflecting the fourth method of reducing dissonance. Towards the end, however, we see a change overcome Koro as he accepts that Paikea is worthy of becoming the next chief, thus abandoning his patriarchal views on leadership and succession. He ultimately changed his attitudes in order to attain psychological consistency.

Gender Roles

Another concept that was present in the film was gender roles, which Coleman (2009) defined as a set of behaviours, attitudes, and traits deemed to be masculine or feminine within a certain culture. The movie depicts Maori culture as being strongly patriarchal, with Koro being a staunch believer that a first-born male is required in order for their people to have a capable leader. Koro can be seen as someone who adheres strictly to gender roles. However, Paikea defies the traditional stereotype of what a girl should be, what with her mastery with ropes and knots, and her skill with the taiaha. She also rejects practices which she does not agrees with, such as when she was told to move to the back during the opening of the boys’ training school.

Final Thoughts

Whale Rider is an empowering movie for women and young girls as it depicts Paikea overcoming gendered expectations in order to realize her true potential. While all the actors portrayed the personalities and emotions of the characters extremely well, a special mention goes out to Keisha Castle-Hughes, who was even nominated for an Academy Award for her moving performance as Paikea. Interspersed with scenes from the Whangara coastline, the movie also beautifully captured sights such as the sweep of the bay and the lush of the island. It was also interesting to discover that the film was adapted from a book of the same name, as I am partial to books in a way that I am not with film. While I haven’t yet finished it, I would recommend looking it up if only for the prose, seen here through an excerpt from the prologue:

In the old days, in the years that have gone before us, the land and sea felt a great emptiness, a yearning. The mountains were like a stairway to heaven, and the lush green rainforest was a rippling cloak of many colours. The sky was iridescent, swirling with the patterns of wind and clouds; sometimes it reflected the prisms of rainbow or southern aurora. The sea was ever-changing, shimmering and seamless to the sky. This was the well at the bottom of the world and when you looked into it you felt you could see to the end of forever.

References

Festinger, L. (1962). Cognitive dissonance. Scientific American. 207(4), 93–107. doi:10.1038/scientificamerican1062-93

Forget Paris

The story goes something like this: boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, boy and girl inevitably encounter conflicts in their budding romance, conveniently resolve all their problems, reunite, and live “happily ever after”. We see this formula to success for any love story repeated in everything from Hollywood blockbusters to children’s books. The notion that happiness can be attained upon finding The One is one that many have entertained, but what happens after “happily ever after”? Sometimes, you end up learning to live with your father-in-law.

Not your usual picture of marital bliss

The rocky road to romance begins with a basketball referee, Mickey, who travels to France to oversee the burial of his late father. In an unexpected turn of events, his airline manages to misplace the casket, leaving Mickey stranded at an airport whilst he awaits the return of his father’s remains. Enter Ellen, the airline representative tasked with smoothing his ruffled feathers. After her attendance at his father’s “funeral”, they grow closer still as they explore the Parisian sights. Mickey ultimately returns to the United States, but Ellen follows soon after and they marry. What follows is a series of events depicting the highs and lows of their union, as told through the eyes of their friends.

This movie illustrates the idea that the perceived rewards and costs of being in a relationship determines an individual’s satisfaction and willingness to remain in the relationship. Initially, Ellen decided that the risk of leaving her job in Paris to be with Mickey was worth the happiness she would have by being together with him, but in truth, she could barely be with him at all, as we always travelling for his job. From a social exchange perspective, the interdependence theory states that people tend to want to maximize the rewards gained from a relationship while also minimizing the costs they must bear (Sprecher, 1998). When Ellen, and later Mickey leave their jobs, they incur what is termed opportunity costs in favour of the emotional rewards of staying together. However, as the theory explains, they remain unhappy in the relationship as the reality does not match their expectations for their relationship. Such expectations are referred to as a comparison level, whereby one is happy when the actual outcome exceeds their expectations but is distressed when the converse is true.

Not when you feel like you're making all the sacrifices in this relationship, it's not

One of the things that was interesting about the film was the way in which the developments in Mickey and Ellen’s relationship was revealed, i.e. through the retelling of the events by their friends. The different narratives added a personal touch to the tale, leaving the audience feeling as if this really was a story your friend was recounting to you over a meal. Through this, bits and pieces of the characters’ personalities were revealed as well. With their snippets of commentary, it was entertaining to see how the marriages of the other characters compared to that of Mickey and Ellen’s. However, it can also be said that as third parties who were only recounting their memories of the relationship, they might not have been privy to other occurrences that might have been important to the story. As different characters recounted specific occurrences regarding the turbulent relationship, it felt as if Liz and the movie’s audience were one and the same, with her reactions to the revelations mirroring that of our own. Much like the way Liz was invested in the outcome of their relationship, we too rejoiced when Ellen appeared during the final basketball game.  

"If someone does not tell me about this baby, asses will be kicked!" In which we were all Liz during this scene

Furthermore, the use of Paris as a metaphor is hardly a novel idea, but this film adopts a new angle to the approach by having their friends repeatedly tell Mickey and Ellen to “Forget Paris”. Their time together there was dazzling and special, but they needed to be able to make the relationship work once the rose-coloured lenses come off. Indeed, successful long-term relationships have seen feelings of love decrease, but measures of commitment increase (Meyers, 2007). It was important for Ellen and Mickey to understand that their relationship might never be as magical as it was at the beginning, and that they needed to live within reality. Of course, the issue is that Ellen and Mickey don’t live in reality; they live in a ‘90s romantic comedy.

Although the movie had a touch more realism than other romantic comedies, the ending felt slightly unsatisfying and anticlimatic. Mickey and Ellen’s reunion could realistically be justified; after all, rekindled romances have the potential to be more successful than the initial relationship (Goldhill, 2015). However, the on-again-off-again nature of their relationship left me feeling just as exasperated as their friends were, and by the time Ellen shows up at the basketball game, one could not help but feel grateful that the story was coming to a close. At times, the movie felt more akin to a documentary about refereeing NBA games, which, while Billy Crystal had actually intended, did not lend to the romanticism of the film. Ultimately, the film had deviations from the typical romantic comedy formula, and although the execution of certain elements could have been handled better, the cast managed to tell a touching story about relationships and what it takes to keep them alive.

(Though I will probably never be able to see Billy Crystal as the male lead in a romantic comedy.)

"Marriages don't work when one partner is happy and the other is miserable. Marriage is about both people being equally miserable." -Andy

References

Goldhill, O. (2015). The psychology of why rekindled romances are so intense. Retrieved from https://qz.com/578395/the-psychology-of-why-rekindled-romances-are-so-intense/

Meyers, L. (2007). The eternal question: Does love last? Monitor on Psychology, 38(2), 44.

Sprecher, S., (1998). Social exchange theories and sexuality. Journal of Sex Research, 35(1), 32–43.

Strictly Ballroom

Baz Luhrmann's Strictly Ballroom (1992) revolves around the lives of ballroom dancers Scott Hastings and his partner Fran as they make their journey to the Pan-Pacific Grand Prix, while trying to incorporate their personal styles of dancing. Several elements of this film can be explained through psychological paradigms.

Expressions of individuality vary from culture to culture; considering the film’s setting in an individualist country like Australia, self-expression is of particular importance (Kim & Sherman, 2007). The phrase “express yourself” is ubiquitous in Western culture; it is a theme that is present from advertisements to films. In this culture, self-expression is associated with positive outcomes, the most prominent of which is freedom. To be able to express oneself is to be free, and within these cultures it is not a privilege, but a right. In relation to that, dance has played an important role in the lives of millions of people throughout history. Whether for professional, recreational, or even religious reasons, dance has always been a medium for self-expression. However, the film sees the world of ballroom dancing encapsulated in rules and regulations, with unique steps being frowned upon and in Scott’s case, actively discouraged. Considering the nature of self-expression in culture and of dance at its core, it comes as no surprise that Scott would want to deviate from standard steps and perform his own dance moves. If analyzed from a goal orientation perspective, Scott’s disposition for demonstrating ability in achievement situations would be categorized as “prove performance goal orientation”. Defined as the “desire to prove one's competence and to gain favorable judgments about it" (VandeWalle, 1997), this could serve as an explanation for Scott and Fran’s motives as they want to be positively evaluated by others.

An important part of the film was the compliance exhibited by the other dancers towards the federation guidelines. In terms of the social identity theory, identification with a group increases an individual’s personal self-esteem (Tajfel, 1978). When a group collectively possesses high self-esteem, an individual is likely to have high levels of personal self-esteem as well, so long as they identify themselves as being a part of the group. Scott’s desire to perform his own dance moves is seen as a threat to the prestige and honour that comes with being a part of the dance federation, possibly resulting in a lowered self-esteem for the group and consequently for the individual. Therefore, this accounts for why individuals such as Liz, Wayne, and Scott’s mother would go to certain lengths to stop him and Fran from dancing their own steps. Barry Fife makes use of this to conflate his own agenda, saying things such as “One bad egg can rot the whole barrel” to manipulate others into preventing Scott from dancing non-Federation steps.

References
Kim, H. S. & Sherman, D. K. (2007). “Express yourself”: Culture and the effect of self-expression on choice. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92, 1-11.
Tajfel, H. (1978). Social categorization, social identity and social comparison. In H. Tajfel (Ed.), Differentiation between social groups: Studies in the social psychology of intergroup relations (pp. 61-76). London: Academic Press.
VandeWalle , D. (1997), Development and validation of a work domain goal orientation instrument, Educational and Psychological Measurement, 8, 995-1015.

Eat Drink Man Woman (飲食男女)

Although Eat Drink Man Woman plays out entirely in Taiwan, the themes of this film are universal. The expression of feelings through food, communication despite generation gaps, gender roles, and modernization in traditional societies can be seen in the film and in real life.

Food is Love, Food is Life

With food, it is just as much about the journey as it is about the destination and this is highlighted throughout the course of the movie. The film succeeds in presenting Mr. Chu's intricate cooking as an expression of larger traditionalism and as an endangered art. The audience is graced with extensive scenes of the preparation of Chinese dishes, displaying the amount of effort and skill that are involved in the culinary arts.

The food preparation sequences serve as a metaphor for the skill required to transform bare existence into a rich life (and perhaps also as a metaphor for film making, where similar care and deftness are required)

Food is as much a backdrop as a recurring symbol in this film. Mr Chu's failing taste buds parallel his loss of zest for life. While he may be considered a great man in Taipei's culinary circles, at home, his relationships with his children are deteriorating. Although his daughters view the weekly Sunday dinners as bothersome and torturous, it is possibly clearer to the audience that Mr Chu does this not merely to uphold notions of tradition, but as a means of expressing his love for them. Indeed, it is unlikely that Mr Chu would undertake all that meticulous preparation for the regular feasts simply as a force of habit. Bound by the conventions of traditional Chinese culture, Mr Chu may not be able to directly convey his feelings to his family, but his attempts to do so through his cooking are apparent. At the end of the film, Mr Chu regains his sense of taste after drinking Jia-Chien’s soup. In line with the assumption of food as a metaphor, the return of this sensory experience could signify his renewed satisfaction with life upon rekindling his relationship with his daughter. Perhaps through the dishes that Jia-Chien prepared he understood her expression of love and endearment for him as well. This theme echoes the sentiments of chefs and culinary enthusiasts everywhere, that food is about more than just a physical sense of fullness. Also, it explores the possibility of there being more than one language of love.

"Cooking done with care is an act of love.” -Craig Claiborne

Communicating Across A Generation Gap 

One of the reasons the Chu daughters dread the aforementioned Sunday dinners is because tensions run so high barely any eating is done. Much of the food on the table goes to waste, but the repast does succeed in one aspect: Each week, a member of the family speaks up with an unexpected revelation, beginning with Jia-Chien’s desire to move out and concluding with Mr Chu’s newfound romance with Jin-Rong. It is fitting that many of the meaningful events in the lives of the Chu family takes place at the dinner table, moreso because it is a unique way to reveal the plot. It was interesting to witness a family dynamic that was so fractured, their interactions had devolved to announcements at regularly scheduled meals. The problems with communicating did not exist only between Mr Chu and his daughters, but also between his daughters themselves.

The sisters barely have meaningful conversations outside of the dinners

Less Gender Roles, More Pizza Rolls

A major source of conflict between Mr Chu and Jia-Chien was his refusal to allow her to pursue a career as a chef, despite her showing promise in the field. Instead, she was urged to go to university, resulting in her subsequent career in the airline industry. Although it was later revealed that Mr Chu wanted a better life for his daughter than that of a chef, Jia-Chien assumed that his motivations were based in beliefs of traditional gender roles, that women did not make good chefs. Indeed, although women are traditionally expected to remain in the kitchen, the professional culinary industry is largely dominated by men. The film may be set in modern-day Taiwan which has seen the emancipation of women’s rights, but Jia-Chien’s assumptions reflect an internalized bias regarding conventional roles held by men and women. Ultimately, she takes over the role of chef for family dinners, which could be taken to mean either confirming to traditional gender roles, or liberation from them; playing the role of nurturing caregiver or demonstrating female culinary prowess.

The Coexistence of Modernization and Traditionalism

Much like the landscape of globalized nations today, the film is set in a Taiwan that embraces modern-liberalist views whilst holding on to time-honoured elements from the past. This can be seen in the way Mr Chu’s elaborate family dinners, the classic infrastructure of The Grand Hotel, and the Wendy’s outlet where Jia-Ning is employed all coexist. Another juxtaposition presents itself in the dichotomy of the rigid family dinners and the unconventional relationships each family member forms, such as Jia-Ning’s shotgun wedding. The revelation of Mr Chu and Jin-Rong’s relationship also presents a new facet to the already unorthodox family dynamic. Perhaps the one person who has found the balance between tradition and modernization is Jia-Chien, a corporate employee who also engages in the stereotypical act of cooking.

Pictured: The extended Chu family by the end of the film

Final Thoughts

Eat Drink Man Woman is a delightfully complex film laced with humour and poignant moments that deal with the kinds of problems most people face during the course of their lives. Love also plays a part in the story, the many faces of which are explored within. With each character's separate story given room to play out, the movie enables the audience to be invested in the outcomes of their individual lives while discovering what it means to be a family. In addition to the refreshing cinematography, the cast is comprised of actors who artfully depict their roles, leaving not a single false moment to be found in their performances. These are all very real people in a very real setting, which enables the audience to identify and relate to the characters and their story, assuring that connection which makes this film such a satisfying experience. The deviation from the standard Hollywood type of storytelling is a welcome one; the tendency to emphasize drama whilst maintaining a light-hearted tone during other scenes is a characteristic of Asian films that differentiate it from their Hollywood counterparts. The film reminds us of the value of the intimate relationships which shape the human experience, but above all it gives you an appreciation and a craving for artfully prepared cuisine, so know that as you reach for the phone and dial for Chinese takeout, you are not alone.