The Joy Luck Club (1993)
Directed by Wayne Wang.
Familiar Faces:
Victor Wong – from My America (…or Honk if you Love Buddha)
Andrew McCarthy – from Pretty in Pink
Storyline:
4 daughters and four mothers.
Story goes forward and backwards in time.
Shows the mothers lives before their daughters/relationships with their own mothers.
June (daughter) & Suyuan (mother)
June’s mother has died & she has to take her mothers place. Her mother gave up two twins (because she thought she was going to die and didn’t want to die beside them) and June is going to China to meet them, but they don’t know their birth mother is dead. June was never good at anything and felt like she disappointed her mother.
Waverly (daughter) & Lindo (mother)
Waverly’s mother put pressure on her to be the best at everything, she was once a chess champion. She feels like she never satisfied her mother. Waverly is marrying a white man and there are cultural differences. Lindo was forced into an arranged marriage to make grandchildren for Huang Tai Tai but tricks the family that they ancestors told her they married the wrong girl.
It seems as though their is a common theme of Asian parents wanting their kids to be experts / perfect.
Why is this a common theme in the movie?
Is this a stereotype?
Ying-Ying (mother) & Lena (daughter)
Ying-Ying was in an abusive relationship in China and had a baby boy. She drowned her son to death to get back at him. Lena is in an loveless marriage with a man who only cares about money. They divorce.
An-Mei (mother) and Rose (daughter)
An-Mei’s mother left, but returns and brings An-Mei to her house where she is the fourth wife. Her mother kills herself. Rose is married to a white, rich man. They have marital issues as she doesn’t think for herself and just wants him to be happy.
Film Techniques:
The film used MATCH CUT transitions.
A MATCH CUT is when two shots are of a similar shape or motion.
This technique was used when going forward and backwards in time, creating a smooth transition.
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