Mid-term Blog-Post
Topic: Generational/Cultural Gap, Sources: The Debut, The Farewell
A challenge that young Asian Americans face is the generational/cultural gap. A gap where they feel little to no connection to the ethnicity that they are. A challenge I know all too well of since it’s something that I face in my own life so the movies I watched hit close to home for me. The movies, The Debut and The Farewell, approach the generational/cultural gap challenge through the use of family.
The Farewell:
The plot to this movie is about how Nai Nai is going to die from lung cancer soon and everyone in the family is hiding this from her so in order for everyone to see her one last time, they’re using a wedding as an excuse to see her. Now introduce Beili into the story and there’s the generational/cultural gap right there. Well… it’s not that simple. Introducing an Asian American doesn’t show the gap but rather how Beili grapples with the idea of not telling her grandma that she’s going to die from cancer soon. Beili being the only one that strongly opposes the idea of not telling reflects how in America, our natural reaction to news like this is to tell the person affects since they have a right to know despite of how they might feel after the news. However, the family’s decision shows how in China, a person’s wellbeing is more important than the right to know as Beili’s mom explains to Beili in the beginning of the movie how the fear of death is what kills and not the actual cancer. Neither of these views are inherently wrong but they clash and show some of the disconnect Beili has with Chinese culture since while she is able to speak Mandarin and probably knows some Chinese culture, the fact she is grappling with the idea of whether her grandma should know is reflective of the disconnection.
The Debut:
Character and personal growth in one night sums up this movie very nicely, though it’s not that simple. The pieces that add up to the growth is what shows the generational/cultural gap. Ben is a prime example of an Asain American that is at total disconnect from his culture. Can’t speak Talaga, doesn’t know cultural customs and tries to hide his home and family from his friends. In fact, the movie really lays it out there with Ben’s grandfather. Ben’s grandfather’s remarks on Ben not blessing him and not being able to understand and speak Talaga like his sister is emblematic of Ben’s disconnect. However, Ben’s disconnect is most apparent with his relationship with his dad as Ben wants nothing to do with his dad and wants to be separated from him, including his culture as Ben’s friends know nothing about his family.
Personal Thoughts:
As I mentioned in the beginning, these movies hit me close to home. I feel like I’m a mix of Beili and Ben. I would react the same way as Beili if I found out one of my grandparents had only a few months left to live and I’m not supposed to tell them. Yet, I understand her family’s view as my parents emphasized wellbeing when raising me. Which is also why I relate to Ben. I’m not as bad as Ben in my disconnect but a poor relationship with parents is part of the reason why we have a big disconnect from our culture. My parents and I clashed on certain viewpoints and while it never resulted in us yelling and fighting each other, it discouraged me from wanting to engage with them in anything. Seeing myself in Beili and Ben really makes me want to reconnect with my parents more as that’s how I can reconnect with my culture. Things have been steady with mending my relationship with them but I still don’t know much about them or their culture so I’m encouraged by these movies to seek them out and engage with them more to learn what I can from them.