Pushing Hands. 1991. Taiwan/USA. Directed by Ang Lee. Screenplay by Lee, James Schamus. With Sihung Lung, Lai Wang, Bo Z. Wang, Deb Snyder, Haan Lee. DCP. In Mandarin, English; English subtitles. 105 min.
Ang Lee’s moving inaugural feature—the first in his informal “Father Knows Best” trilogy—mines the conflicts and tensions between the values of an older Chinese generation and its descendants. The film focuses on an elderly Chinese tai chi master who has trouble adjusting to a new life with his Americanized son and American daughter-in-law, bringing to light cultural differences and miscommunications at the center of a family struggling for reconciliation.