Spoilers Warning: This piece was written for school!
The task of shifting house can be overwhelming. Moving to a new town or city can be scary. Have you ever considered what it would be like to immigrate to a new country, where you did not know anyone or spoke that countries language? You may have immigrated before, if you have not, the film Floating Life, gives a good insight into what it is like to immigrate and to go through the experience of dislocation.
The films focus is on the Chan family, Ma and Pa Chan with their two youngest sons, who are moving to Australia to avoid the communist take over of Hong Kong, and to be with their Second' daughter, Bing, who has lived and worked in Australia for three years.
The title, Floating Life, is very clever and is referring to the immigration experience. When a family lives in a certain place all their life they are said to have put down roots', but anyone who shifts from country to country loses all sense of who they are and where they belong, thus they are floating'. This is exactly what Floating life is trying to portray to the audience, that the displacement of the whole Chan family, leaves them unsure of who and where they are meant to be.
The use of the landscape in Floating Life, shows how the Chan's experience Australia. The contrast coming from the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong, to the blue skies, bright sun and suburban way of life in Australia, is effectively done. The scenes when the Chan's first arrive in Australia, are very comical, because it shows how the family is dumbfounded by their new surroundings, the wildlife and the freedom that they now have.
The film's focus is very much on immigration and how the Chan's try to assimilate to their new country, this is exemplified in the character of Bing. Her character on the surface seems very confident and successful, yet underneath she is very cynical and paranoid with life, causing much unrest for her family. The first days the Chan's live with Bing in Australia are tough. She tells her family the terrors of living in Australia: the cancerous sun, killer wasps, poisonous red-back spiders, pitbull terriers and that the burning of incense in a wooden house is not on.
Bing also points out that her two younger brothers are now to speak English, not Chinese, since they are living in an English speaking country. She almost acts like a mother to the boys, afraid that they will become louts'. This creates a wedge in the families relationship with Bing, to the extent, that they flee to a new home. They feel that Bing is trying to change their culture and for the worse.
Yet, many of the characters in this film are at a loss, because they are losing their identity. The Chan's oldest daughter, Yen, who is happily living in Germany, is at odds because she cannot work out whether she is Chinese or German. This is after her husband tells their daughter, that because she speaks Cantonese and not Mandarin, that her mother does not speak real' Chinese. This provokes Yen to ask, `Who am I?'. Ma and Pa Chan also feel that because they are in a new country that the tradition of burning incense is no longer worth it. Furthermore, Pa gives up his passion of Chinese tea, claiming `My heart's not in it'.
Bing seems on the surface to be the most adjusted to the way of life in Australia. However after her family leaves her, Bing falls into a great depression, realising how much she really has given up. This forces her family to go back to their roots, to help save their daughter. The most poignant scene in the film, is at the end, when the mother is burning incense, crying a prayer that her ancestral gods will once again bring back an important member of their family. Bing's illness helps the Chan's to recapture their culture, and what made them who they are.
This film is a great look at what a daunting experience immigration must be, and the effects of the Chinese diaspora. It allows us to go further than just be an observer, but to experience what the movies character's are feeling, which is confusion, isolation and alienation. Thus, Floating Life is the search for a place, to which an individual feels comfortable, in calling home'.
Rating: 4 Stars or 8/10
The task of shifting house can be overwhelming. Moving to a new town or city can be scary. Have you ever considered what it would be like to immigrate to a new country, where you did not know anyone or spoke that countries language? You may have immigrated before, if you have not, the film Floating Life, gives a good insight into what it is like to immigrate and to go through the experience of dislocation.
The films focus is on the Chan family, Ma and Pa Chan with their two youngest sons, who are moving to Australia to avoid the communist take over of Hong Kong, and to be with their Second' daughter, Bing, who has lived and worked in Australia for three years.
The title, Floating Life, is very clever and is referring to the immigration experience. When a family lives in a certain place all their life they are said to have put down roots', but anyone who shifts from country to country loses all sense of who they are and where they belong, thus they are floating'. This is exactly what Floating life is trying to portray to the audience, that the displacement of the whole Chan family, leaves them unsure of who and where they are meant to be.
The use of the landscape in Floating Life, shows how the Chan's experience Australia. The contrast coming from the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong, to the blue skies, bright sun and suburban way of life in Australia, is effectively done. The scenes when the Chan's first arrive in Australia, are very comical, because it shows how the family is dumbfounded by their new surroundings, the wildlife and the freedom that they now have.
The film's focus is very much on immigration and how the Chan's try to assimilate to their new country, this is exemplified in the character of Bing. Her character on the surface seems very confident and successful, yet underneath she is very cynical and paranoid with life, causing much unrest for her family. The first days the Chan's live with Bing in Australia are tough. She tells her family the terrors of living in Australia: the cancerous sun, killer wasps, poisonous red-back spiders, pitbull terriers and that the burning of incense in a wooden house is not on.
Bing also points out that her two younger brothers are now to speak English, not Chinese, since they are living in an English speaking country. She almost acts like a mother to the boys, afraid that they will become louts'. This creates a wedge in the families relationship with Bing, to the extent, that they flee to a new home. They feel that Bing is trying to change their culture and for the worse.
Yet, many of the characters in this film are at a loss, because they are losing their identity. The Chan's oldest daughter, Yen, who is happily living in Germany, is at odds because she cannot work out whether she is Chinese or German. This is after her husband tells their daughter, that because she speaks Cantonese and not Mandarin, that her mother does not speak real' Chinese. This provokes Yen to ask, `Who am I?'. Ma and Pa Chan also feel that because they are in a new country that the tradition of burning incense is no longer worth it. Furthermore, Pa gives up his passion of Chinese tea, claiming `My heart's not in it'.
Bing seems on the surface to be the most adjusted to the way of life in Australia. However after her family leaves her, Bing falls into a great depression, realising how much she really has given up. This forces her family to go back to their roots, to help save their daughter. The most poignant scene in the film, is at the end, when the mother is burning incense, crying a prayer that her ancestral gods will once again bring back an important member of their family. Bing's illness helps the Chan's to recapture their culture, and what made them who they are.
This film is a great look at what a daunting experience immigration must be, and the effects of the Chinese diaspora. It allows us to go further than just be an observer, but to experience what the movies character's are feeling, which is confusion, isolation and alienation. Thus, Floating Life is the search for a place, to which an individual feels comfortable, in calling home'.
Rating: 4 Stars or 8/10