Chinese Cinema and Society final paper Social Sciences Term Paper

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Chinese Cinema and Society.
Homosexuality
Society is dynamic. There are numerous variations and complexities in the way of lives of people living in a particular community. People have different lifestyles, principles, perceptions, concepts, and perspectives on various matters, especially on the issue of gender and sexuality. In China, in the last thirty years, discussions on gender and sexuality have become an increasingly significant area of inquiry in various academic disciplines. In the field of cinema, literature, and culture, the matter has been focused on the female gender. However, as an emerging field, in the study of same-sex sexuality, scholars have begun to emphasize the male gender. Taiwanese literature has represented their thoughts on homosexuality in films, and there is no representation in the 1990s, movies that were created on the topic in the 21st century were arguably transitional (Lim 27). Since cinema is rendered the fast-rising and most efficient area of analysis, modern contemporary Chinese films have represented the theme of sexuality in different ways, as shown in the study of the movie below.
The theme has been represented in many Chinese films such as The Wedding Banquet and Happy Together. The subject matter in The Wedding Banquet revolves around an interracial gay couple from the USA. A young individual from Taiwan called Wai-Tung is gay in his late 20s, living with his American lover, Simon, who is a physical therapist, in a brownstone in New York (Whitney 59). Their relationship is going well except for the fact that he keeps receiving messages and phone calls from his parents, telling him that, with ultimate urgency, he needs to set a date for his marriage to a nice young Chinese girl, so that he could present them with a grandchild in their old age. This is because his parents are not aware of his relationship when he was still living with them in Taiwan; he never came out to them, nor introduced his boyfriend. Additionally, the two explain the development of their gay relationship in different instances, such as when they are kissing in front of Wei-Wei, sleeping together in bed, holding hands, and playing together.
The theme of homosexuality has been represented in the film using motion pictures that have been caught in various cinematographic styles. Over the shoulder shot, two shots close up shots, and excellent lighting have been used throughout the movie to bring out the subject matter. Over the shoulder shot has been employed in the instance when Wai-Tung and Simon are sitting up naked in bed while Wai-Tung complains that the failure of the plan is Simon's fault because it was his idea. The shot shows that the two are lovers, and their relationship is so good that they are comfortable enough to be in nightwear around each other (Song 56). At the start of the film, Wai-Tung is seen working out in the gym while listening to his mother's cassette tape. The first of the two implications of the scene is that Wai-Tung is being introduced as a more masculine side of the couple because of the use of close-up shots to cover his muscles and face. The other implication is that while he is at the gym, he a...