Pushing Hands () is a 1991 comedy-drama film directed by Taiwanese filmmaker Ang Lee, his feature directorial debut. It stars Sihung Lung as a Chinese tai chi master living in New York, who struggles to find his place in the world. The film shows the contrast between traditional Chinese ideas of Confucian relationships within a family and the much more informal Western emphasis on the individual. Together with Ang Lee's two following films, The Wedding Banquet (1993) and Eat Drink Man Woman (1994), it forms his "Father Knows Best" trilogy, each of which deals with conflicts between an older and more traditional generation and their children as they confront a world of change.

The Taiwanese-American co-production was produced independently by Lee and Ted Hope, and features several of Lee's frequent collaborators, including screenwriter James Schamus and editor Tim Squyres. It was released theatrically in Taiwan, but did not see a wide release in the United States for several years, after the success of The Wedding Banquet and Eat Drink Man Woman. It was critically well-received, and earned several accolades, including three Golden Horse Awards.

Plot

The story begins with the Chinese tai chi master, Chu, immigrating to the United States to live with his son, Alex, and his family. Due to Chu's inability to speak English and his American daughter-in-law, Martha's, lack of Mandarin proficiency, communication between them is nearly impossible. They rely on Alex, who is bilingual, to serve as an interpreter. Martha finds Chu's presence disruptive, as his daily routine interferes with her writing of her second novel. Chu teaches tai chi classes at the local Chinese cultural center on Sundays, where he meets Mrs. Chen, another Beijing immigrant who teaches cooking.

The narrative depicts the conflict between Chu and Martha, as well as Alex's struggle between filial duty and practical responsibilities. One evening, while Alex is out, Chu goes for a walk against Martha's wishes, triggering a family crisis. Subsequently, Chu moves out of the house to live independently. He finds a job as a dishwasher in a small Chinatown apartment but faces discrimination from the owner. Using his tai chi skills, Chu defends himself during a confrontation with the owner, earning respect from others.

The story concludes with Alex realizing his misunderstandings about his father and attempting to reconcile. Despite Chu's insistence on living alone, Alex expresses his love and hopes for him to visit regularly and see his grandson. Ultimately, Chu and Mrs. Chen continue their lives in Chinatown, pursuing freedom and independence.

Cast

  • Sihung Lung as Mr. Chu (), a tai chi master who travels to the United States.
  • Bo Z. Wang as Alex Chu (), Chu's son. He acts as an interpreter between Mr. Chu and Martha, but he deliberately mistranslates to reduce tensions between the two parties.
  • Deb Snyder as Martha Chu (), Alex's European American wife. Martha does not speak or understand Chinese. Lee first developed the idea of a film about an old man and old woman falling in love in front of their children, but did not start writing the script until he learned of a script competition being held by the Government Information Office of Taiwan. Lee began writing in February 1990, while practicing tai chi at a nearby community college. At the end of March, the script for Pushing Hands was submitted along with the one for The Wedding Banquet, which he had already written. On the day of the shooting, the crew set up a table and incense, and held a gong ceremony, a practice Lee would continue into his future projects.

The film was shot entirely on-location in New York City, making it the first Taiwanese film to be shot entirely in the United States. The Chu residence was a house located in the North Riverdale sub-neighborhood of The Bronx. Ang requested that the house have very large windows in order to photograph the interior from the outside. Because the house did not have any furniture, the crew transported furniture from Manhattan, but Ang was not satisfied. Ang moved his own furniture onto the set, which was later destroyed in the scene where Alex trashes the kitchen. Donald Lyons wrote that Lee's filming style displayed "a mastery of the visual dynamics of interior spaces and their psychic pressures."