Pushing Hands - TUI SHOU

« The pushing of hands » is a Tai Chi technique, which teaches how to keep one’s balance while at the same time fighting one’s opponent. Mr Chu, a retired master of Tai Chi, leaves Beijing to join his only son, Alex, his daughter-in-law, Martha, and their son, Jeremy, in the States. But Martha, absorbed in writing her first novel, has trouble putting up with her father-in-law’s presence, because, on the one hand, of the language barrier, but also because of cultural differences. What results is a very uncomfortable situation for Alex who wants to try and keep his family together.

The first feature film by the director and the first part of his trilogy, ‘Father Knows Best’, ‘Pushing Hands’ already deals with most of the themes dear to Ang Lee. He depicts the tension between the traditional, Confuscian values of the older generation and the realities of modern life. The culture clash in a family and its consequences are brought to light in an accurate and subtle way by the Taiwanese director !