Family Mythology, Dual Cultural Identity, and the Confucian Family in "Double Happiness" and "The Wedding Banquet"

Abstract

In the stereotypical, Confucian-influenced "Chinese" model family, the group is paramount, and takes precedence over the needs and aspirations of the individual. This stands in contrast to the stereotypically "Western" view of the family, in which the identity of the individual is placed above that of the group, and the family is of decidedly less concern. Directors Ang Lee and Mina Shurn examine and critique the prevailing "Chinese" conceptions of the model Confucian family and the individual in their films The Wedding Banquet and Double Happiness, respectively. Both films show how people construct fictions that are untrue but essential to keep the family intact. The resultant "family mythology" (National Asian American Telecommunications Association 1) keeps the protagonists' families happy and creates a way for the protagonists to maintain dual cultural identities . The mythology helps family members fit into their often ill­ fitting Confucian roles, and the protagonists gain the ability move freely between Chinese and Western cultures, at least temporarily, without offending their parents.