hero.and.offside.entry.two.

-This post excesses the requirement of 600 words for the assessment, but I feel like I need this much to make my points clear. I’ve bracketed out some parts of this post which are the “less important”. So feel free to skip the part in brackets [“)”,”(“]. 🙂 

(-Now it is half way through the semester—how time flies! For this second post, I’ll be talking about the topics of transnationalism and gender in relation to the films of Hero by Zhang Yimou and Offside by Jafar Panahi.)

HERO

(-General Impression: As Zhang’s first production during his transition period from art-house cinema to commercial big-budget movies, Hero emerges with not only commercial but cultural and aesthetic values. Although it does look like a pro-power-centralization movie, I believe that Zhang was not trying to glorify Emperor Qin or please the current Chinese government but to serve as an analogy to modern China.)

–Gender, Zhang Yimou, and Emperor Qin: As it is pointed out in the reading this week, Hero presents us with a patriarchy world with Emperor Qin as the central great father figure who is powerful, wise enough to figure out Nameless’s lie, a peacemaker, and a unity founder. In that respect, we suspect that Zhang’s opinion of the Emperor is pretty high. Ironically, thirteen years before this, Zhang still recognized Emperor Qin as a tyrant. Why did this happen? In my opinion, it is an analogy to current China, showing a reluctant realization of the need of strong power in China now. The tragic end for Nameless reveals in the movie the cruel nature of the Emperor—even if Nameless understood him, he still killed him. He was spared a life solely for the sake of “all lives below heaven”—it was only necessary. (In the history of China, there is a famous use of a line which basically means “by the fall of XX dynasty, the world went to chaotic wars.” Therefore, every time a power fell, years and years of war began in China. The most recent example would be the civil war between the Chinese Communist government and the Chinese Nationalist government right after Japan’s surrender.) Zhang possibly still wishes for a united China and the price the country has to pay, he realizes, is to be lead by a central power until all citizens of his ideal China come to a point where most people are educated enough to embrace democracy. Emperor Qin, for Zhang, is still a tyrant but chosen for sustaining peace in China as a whole; and meanwhile, Zhang waits for the people’s awakening for democracy—a time when his ideal China finally does not need an Emperor. It is all his analogy and ideal.

–Gender, Moon and Flying Snow: Compare to the other male characters like Nameless and Broken Sword, Moon and Flying Snow, as female characters, were the “lesser” ones in the movie. For one, the ultimate realization of the greater good of “all below heaven” by Broken Sword and Nameless was not perceived at all by Flying Snow as if women were incapable of thinking like them. The other, Moon couldn’t understand the “realization”, either, acting as only a minor character who was a disciple to Broken Sword. I think that the movie is definitely not a feminist one but there is truthfulness to the movie as it does tempt to portray an old patriarchy world controlled by “powerful” men.

–Conclusion: Hero does not promote feminism or gender equality as it basically presents us with a male-dominated world with only minor women who do not know better than men. The portrayal of Emperor, however, is neither glorious or bad but as a symbol of male and centralized power only necessary in current China to sustain peace.

OFFSIDE

(-General Impression: Offside by Jafar Panahi is quite a naturalistic movie that focuses on Iranian women who wish to watch a soccer game in the stadium but are captured due to social restrictions on them. The movie was filmed on the spot during the actual match which somehow links between the fictional world and the reality.)

–Gender and Restricted POV: Panahi communicates the gender issue in Iran quite successfully through presenting us with a restricted point of view. What is put on the screen is only what the female fans can see and hear—the female experience Panahi was trying to imitate so that viewers are situated in the very same space to evoke empathy.

–Gender, Soccer Game, Soldier, and Female Fans: The female rule breakers in Offside are all quite distinct in personality. The movie lacks any physical contact between the sexes and female images are not in the slightest sexualized but of normal, ordinary and real people. Offside addresses gender issues, especially women’s identity via verbal exchanges and their behavior pattern. For example, one girl questions “why could Japanese women watch a Japan-Iran game here?” The soldier fails to give a satisfying answer but only addresses that “they were Japanese.” (There are many dialogues like that touches on the gender restrictions, constantly reminds us of Iranian women’s struggle. In one scene, it is quite interesting that a male family friend to one of the fan girls cannot recognize her until she puts on her chador—as if male only sees women as in the confines of social codes. )Meanwhile, the male characters are not too simplified or portrayed with dominant power. Mainly, the soldiers are merely the followers of the old tradition and codes. It is clear that they follow the rules which they do not comprehend the reasons for. They are, in a way, the victims of the restrict codes, too.

–Conclusion: In Offside, it portrays women as independent and different in personalities but restricted by social rules. I think the movie has a quite equal and concise view of gender in general. Its restricted POV device makes us empathize with the women in the movie. And, it sees both men and women as victims of social codes.

————————————————————————————————–

References: