FLOATING LIFE
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1997 James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 8.0 Alternative Scale: ***1/2 out of ****
Australia, 1996 Running Length: 1:35 MPAA Classification: No MPAA Rating (Mature themes, profanity) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Shown at the Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema, 5/8/97, 5/10/97 & 5/11/97
Cast: Annette Shun Wah, Annie Yip, Anthony Wong, Edwin Pang, Cecilia Fong Sing Lee Director: Clara Law Producer: Bridget Ikin Screenplay: Eddie L.C. Fong and Clara Law Cinematography: Dion Beebe In English, Cantonese, and German with subtitles
With Hong Kong's approaching return to China's fold, the prevailing atmosphere is one of anxiety-tinged anticipation. Now, more than ever before, families are leaving, believing that the uncertainties of emigration offer more hope than staying home. Clara Law's (TEMPTATION OF A MONK) FLOATING LIFE, one of many films to draw upon the current situation for inspiration, examines the difficulties encountered by Hong Kong emigrants. On one level, FLOATING LIFE is about the experiences of the Chang family as they change residence from Hong Kong to Australia, but much of what is presented regarding this small group of individuals has universal resonance. Immigrants worldwide will recognize the truth in what Law has to say.
The title refers to one facet of the immigrant experience. Those who live their entire life in one place are said to put down roots, but anyone who moves from one country to another loses any sense of stability. With relatives, memories, and all familiar things in a different part of the world, immigrants no longer have a fixed point of cultural reference; hence, they are "floating."
The floating individuals in this film are the members of the Chang family -- father, mother, and two boys -- who have left Hong Kong to live with "second sister" Bing, who is forging a successful career in Australia. While Bing is pleased to have Mum and Pa in her home, she lays down a series of stringent rules that her parents find unreasonable and oppressive. Soon, the atmosphere under Bing's roof is one of growing tension. Meanwhile, the oldest Chang son, Gar Ming, still living in Hong Kong, is forced to contemplate his future when a casual girlfriend becomes pregnant. And Bing's older sister, Yen, who lives with her husband and daughter in Germany, begins to worry that her parents might die before she has a chance to see them again.
Comedy and drama are expertly interwoven throughout FLOATING LIFE. For all of the contemplation of death, lost roots, and fractured families, this is actually a surprisingly lighthearted motion picture. In fact, the movie starts out almost as a farce, and never completely abandons its playful tone even when dealing with serious issues. The most important and compelling of these, of course, is the price of becoming a part of a new culture. Those who refuse to adapt will find themselves forever looking back, and therefore incapable of moving forward. On the other hand, those who try too zealously to assimilate risk losing their heritage, their traditions, and themselves.
Two of FLOATING LIFE's many vignettes aptly illustrate Law's primary concerns. In one, Yen plaintively asks the simplest of questions: "Who am I?" She is caught between two worlds -- not truly German or Chinese, with a life that is defined solely by her husband and child. Bing, on the other hand, is determined to become Australian at all costs. But, when she finally recognizes the consequences of what she is giving up in pursuit of that goal, her life collapses.
FLOATING LIFE works because it allows the viewer to feel the characters' confusion and isolation. Most of us are used to looking at the immigrant experience from the outside; FLOATING LIFE offers an opportunity to observe it from another perspective. Law's own recent experience moving from Hong Kong to Australia serves to heighten the film's verisimilitude. Ultimately, FLOATING LIFE is about the importance of balance. It's a lesson that is useful not only for surviving an immigration, but in all dealings with relatives, both near and far.
Copyright 1997 James Berardinelli
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- James Berardinelli e-mail: berardin@bc.cybernex.net ReelViews web site: http://www.cybernex.net/~berardin
"All film directors, whether famous or obscure, regard themselves as misunderstood or underrated. Because of that, they all lie. They're obliged to overstate their own importance." -- Francois Truffaut
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equences of what she is giving up in pursuit of that goal, her life collapses.
FLOATING LIFE works because it allows the viewer to feel the characters' confusion and isolation. Most of us are used to looking at the immigrant experience from the outside; FLOATING LIFE offers an opportunity to observe it from another perspective. Law's own recent experience moving from Hong Kong to Australia serves to heighten the film's verisimilitude. Ultimately, FLOATING LIFE is about the importance of balance. It's a lesson that is useful not only for surviving an immigration, but in all dealings with relatives, both near and far.
- James Berardinelli e-mail: berardin@bc.cybernex.net ReelViews web site: http://www.cybernex.net/~berardin
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