Bringing it Home: How We Live Our Lives

After a long semester featuring films from several different cultures and many a skilled director, we as students must now bear the responsibility of putting it all together. There are all too many ways to go about this, but as a senior with less than a week left in his college career, I felt like it would be a suiting end to go back to CIE one last time. Through these films, what are we told about human life? How should we live our lives? What is important? What can we expect from the world? Though the answers to these questions vary between cultures, ultimately, there is much to learn.

Brotherhood and Action: A Better Tomorrow

                A Better Tomorrow is a film in which life choices are placed at the forefront, with Ho desperately trying to get himself out of the criminal life he has led, for the sake of both his brother and his father. After a job gone wrong, he pays for his crimes in full and is unable to quit while he is ahead; instead, he is turned to a villain in his brother’s eyes, and the quest for vengeance leaves his best friend, Mark, crippled. Eventually, through much hardship, Ho and his brother Kit are reunited at the cost of Mark’s death, but what can be said about the journey?

                Perhaps the most powerful theme is simply that of consequences for one’s actions. Ho thought he was doing the right thing by trying to leave the criminal underground that he was a part of, but in reality, the damage had already been done. A result of his and his father’s ties to this criminal underground is his father’s assassination, and with it, the loss of Kit’s respect for him as a brother. Once finished with his jail time, Ho attempts to live a clean life at a taxi business, but he is unable to do this either, as Shing eventually attacks the place with his henchmen. Though Mark gets vengeance for his blood-brother’s betrayal by shooting down the man who ambushed him, he is crippled and quickly falls out of favor with the syndicate. As if his fall from grace isn’t enough, Mark is subsequently used as a bargaining chip for Ho throughout the film as Shing attempts to bring him back into the fold. Like a rock thrown into a still pond, Ho’s actions, even though he tries to stop them, puts things into motion that cannot be stopped. One is forced to live with one’s choices, as they cannot be so easily reversed. The consequences are not always immediate, or even personal, but these actions will always see something come of them. As such, Ho teaches his audience to treat his or her actions with care, as they may very well become their undoing, be it immediate or delayed.

                There is also much to be learned from the relationship between Mark and Ho. Despite the lack of actual blood between them, the friendship the two share is a powerful theme throughout the film. Supplemented by scenes of their bond, the soundtrack in their scenes together, and the sacrifices made by one for the other throughout make it stand out in the minds of those in the audience. Mark cripples himself in an attempt to get revenge for Ho’s betrayal, but his loyalty extends farther than that; despite taking shots to his pride, he stays with the syndicate solely for Ho. In the closing scenes, he returns from an escape in order to fight with his brother one last time. This bond helps carry Ho through many of his difficult decisions in the film, as he knows Mark’s support will be there. As such, this movie tells us to take care of our friends. Though family is important, as Ho’s longing for a relationship with Kit shows, it can be our close friends who become our brothers. Through these bonds we form with those closest to us, we may achieve the impossible, as Ho does when he finally kills Shing. Furthermore, it is through our “brothers” that we may sometimes find redemption for our foul deeds, and with their support, move forward in life.

Never Accepting Fate: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Jen in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon does not have all she wants in life. Though she secretly trains in the martial arts and inwardly lusts for a life of a warrior, she is instead a victim of tradition. Arranged marriage represents the chains that attempt to bind her, but her response, rather than the more subtle rebellions seen in Raise the Red Lantern and Yellow Earth, it to rebel fully. Before even revealing herself, she trains with the outlaw Jade Fox, and steals the Green Destiny sword to test her own skills. Throughout the film, Jen denies tradition and her position by fighting where she should not fight, using a sword where she should use a brush, and ultimately, pursuing the path of the warrior. Though her way is not the best one, as Shu Lien and Li Mu Bai often chide her for, she takes action. Her actions, though brash, remind the audience that there is always another way. Like many things we may fear in our own lives (a lack of job, family issues, etc) there may not always be an apparent way out. However, with effort and some creative thinking, a life may change dramatically. Though she defies tradition, she is able to follow her dream and escape the prison of her looming marriage, at least for some time. Furthermore, her ability to resist the norm allow her a brief glimpse of a life she could enjoy with Dark Cloud.

However, with this one must also remember the needs of others, and note the boundary between freedom and selfishness. Though Jen does break away from her marriage for a time, it causes no end of hardship for many people, most visibly the men who wanted her to teach them, only to have her beat them down. Furthermore, the end of her path with Jade Fox and her rebellious actions end in the death of the hero Li Bu Bai, and with it, a momentous loss for Shu Lien, a woman she once called sister. As such, the film reminds us to be be mindful of our actions and their consequences, much as  A Better Tomorrow does. Jen’s ambitions and wish to be free were noble goals, but her methods were sometimes too extreme, and her decisions too guided by pride. She turns down a marriage to Dark Cloud, whom she seemed to love, and an apprenticeship under Li Mu Bai, who could have been the teacher she so longed for. Both of these could have allowed her an escape from her marriage, but it is pride that forces her to refuse each time. Thus, we must be mindful of our emotions and our decisions, lest they be made too selfishly or with too much emotion. And though we may achieve our goals, we must constantly ask ourselves what the cost is, and whom it may harm in its execution.

Are We Really Alive?: Ikiru

The opening scene of Ikiru presents a dilemma to the audience. Watanabe-san is a seemingly successful man, working for the city as a section manager, but the narrator tells us that the man has hardly lived a day of his life as a result of his job. Throughout the film, we are shown bits and pieces of the life he had missed because of his job, namely in moments that his son, Mitsuo, needed his support, but he was far too busy. Watanabe’s struggle of living versus making a living strikes the audience because nearly everyone is in the same position. Watanabe’s position, though it is obviously not one that has given him an overabundance of money, is respectable and relatively successful, which is something (especially a class full of college students) wishes for. However, once Watanabe-san discovers that his remaining life is far shorter than he imagined, he panics, desperately trying to fill the gaps of his life that his job had left empty for so many years. Perhaps the best phrasing for the lesson here is, like the earlier films, to note the consequences, and be aware of the price you pay. Watanabe-san’s work left him unfulfilled for most of his life, but the times he spent when trying to live were clearly some of the best he had had. The smile on his face when running around with his “Mephistopheles” and his lunches with his ex-coworker showed a different man beneath the “mummy” that he appeared as during his tenure as section chief. As the title suggests, we must live our lives; success is a wonderful thing, and to be strived for, but not at the cost of our humanity. Save money, but have a drink. Work hard, but spend time with your family afterwards. Achieve success, but always remember your family and your self are far more important than any position.

                Besides teaching us to live, this film also tells us to learn. In Watanabe’s waning months, he goes all out to make his one small mark on the world, going through gangsters and the mayor himself in order to get a park built for his community, which his job had originally stalled indefinitely. While many refused to give him credit, one of his coworkers eventually convinces the rest of Watanabe-san’s great deed, and they all vow to remember it in their own lives. However, at the first chance, Watanabe’s memory is forgotten as the office reroutes an issue to another office, just as it did before Watanabe’s transformation. The coworker rises indignant, but sits down again, drowned out by the paperwork on his desk. The message we receive here is to be mindful of the past. It’s very easy to fall into the status quo, doing the easy thing instead of the thing one knows to be right. Though Watanabe’s actions were inspiring, it is only through his workers that his memory and his actions can be carried on. Though they fail to do so, the audience can see this injustice, and try to take it into their own lives. Though it may be difficult, don’t forget what inspires you, or what truly makes a difference. Remembering this may be just what the world needs for a change for the better.

Live and Learn: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter…And Spring

                Whereas the first three films I have discussed are concerned with the consequences of one’s actions, Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter…And Spring takes a somewhat softer stance on this. The Buddhist values inherent in the film teach the audience even as the old, wise monk teaches his young student. We cringe as the young boy tortures animals, but always the old master is there to teach him. The young boy, however, becomes discontent with the old man’s way of life, and once his lust is awakened by the arrival of a young girl, he connects to the audience through his desire for mainstream society. The young boy eventually returns after leaving for several years, and it is revealed that he murdered the young girl he was so involved with. Though raging at first, the old man brings peace to his heart before he is taken away. The most important part is the return: once his time is served, the young man returns to the shrine, now empty with his master’s death, and takes up his mantle, learning martial arts and meditating in order to better become his master. The lesson here is not in the consequences, but in the redemption. Though the young boy is punished for his actions at every turn, it is the old man’s ways of redeeming him that win out in the end, and make a difference. Though the young man’s rage turns inward and he tries to kill himself, the old man teaches him and helps him to leave it be, eventually paving the way for his peace and his ascension to being a true monk. Even though he killed, the darkest of sins, through peace and understanding he is able to transcend his wrongdoings and become the very figure that taught him. Here, then, we learn that we must be responsible for our actions, but that our sins are not unforgivable; if we strive to overcome them, then we may rise above them.

                The cyclical nature and sometimes inevitability of life are also important themes of the film. In the young man that begins his training in the final scenes of the movie, we see many of the same mistakes being made by this child as in the now older monk. As such, we can also imagine that the wise figure that we had for most of the film made many of these same mistakes in his youth. Through their actions the audience can glean that their sins and mistakes have been made before, and will inevitably be made again. However, it is in how these sins are dealt with and learned from that makes all the difference. Our elders and those we trust may have some stains on their conscience as well, but in learning from them and using their approaches in one’s own life, we may achieve a more righteous way of life for ourselves. Through this redemption, we may see reason not to worry and stress over every decision, as life goes on, and we very well may be able to move through whatever issues hold us down.

How We Live Our Lives

                Through these films, then, we are given a way of life, or tenets to bring our lives to greater fulfillment. Like Mark and Ho, we must appreciate those around us and create a bond that none may break, but also be aware of the consequences of our actions. Like Jen, we must free ourselves of what binds us or holds us back, never giving in to inevitability, but also be mindful of how our actions may affect others. Like Watanabe, we must live our lives while we can, but also be mindful of the past, and never let go of what is truly inspiring. And like the young monk, work to redeem ourselves for our inevitable failings, but also recognize the consequences of our actions and the interconnectedness of our lives. And thus, after four years, the CIE question finally receives closure.