WTF ASIA: Ocean Heaven
Jet Li has been one of the premiere Kung Fu Film Stars for decades. He played the legendary Wong Fei Hong in the Once Upon a Time in China series and The Expendables movies…well, at least the first one. He has kicked and punched his way into our hearts year after year in classic movie after classic movie. Fighting for justice, for honor, for nation, for redemption. In this edition of Watching and Talking about Films from Asia, I will recommend the film Ocean Heaven, where Jet Li must face what may be his toughest opponent yet: terminal cancer.
Bruce Lee had said that we must be water. Perhaps taking this bit of wisdom to heart, Mr. Wang and his son Dafu tie a weight to their legs, and jump off a motorboat into the sea. Okay, maybe it was a murder-suicide attempt. In any case, it doesn’t work and they end up returning to their apartment.
It turns out Dafu has autism. It is a kind of calm and quirky autism, where he mostly moves his head around and wiggles his fingers. He has problems doing basic things, like dressing, cooking, using the bus, managing money, keeping that stuffed animal off the television. He does not seem to have any special special person talent, except for maybe swimming, which might be why the drowning attempt failed. No card counting, not even playing the piano. Kind of ironic for an Asian, perhaps. But he loves to swim. His social skills are not the best, but he finds comfort being with the animals at the aquarium where Mr. Wong works. He also strikes up a friendship with a juggler in a traveling acrobatic troupe, someone who feels a bit like a lost soul and sees something in him.
Dafu’s autism would not necessarily be a problem for Mr. Wang, except that Mr. Wang has terminal cancer. His wife died fifteen years ago and Dafu, in his early twenties, is too old to stay at the orphanage or school for the differently abled and too young to live in housing for the elderly. In other words, cooking crystal meth is not going to help Mr. Wang. There are other people who might be able and willing to look after Dafu, but Mr. Wang cannot be certain if their generosity will last or if their ability to help will be adequate. Short of another murder suicide attempt, all Mr. Wang can do is try to instill some basic skills to for Dafu to incorporate into his daily life. These sessions are long, repetitive, and often frustrating. Sometimes, you can see Dafu struggling to do what his father says, but not being able to fully comprehend.
About halfway through the film, Mr. Wang finds a place for Dafu can live and be looked after on a long-term basis. Still, it is not an easy transition, and Mr. Wang still needs to teach Dafu basic skills, not necessarily to live independently, but to be able to do certain things without assistance. It is no easy task. It takes patience, persistence, and love. Will Dafu be able to take care of himself enough to be able to survive without his father? Will he be okay without his father?
There are no villains, other than maybe the cancer and a system not set up to properly address Dafu’s needs. There are maybe people who do not understand Dafu or are less than sympathetic to his struggles, but no one mocking him day after day. In fact, there are many people who are sympathetic towards Dafu and his father, but maybe their level of patience, understanding, and ability are not necessarily up to the task. Part of Mr. Wang’s pain comes from finding the right people, and maybe learning to trust them.
For the most part, the movie is low-key and matter of fact, avoiding overpowering melodrama or philosophical grandstanding. I cannot comment on how well the movie portrays autism, cancer, or Chinese social services, as I am not that familiar with the subjects. Primarily, though, I think that this movie is all about love. The love of a father for his child. The hope and kindness that his love inspires within others. The lengths that he will go for his child. His desire to ensure that that child will still be loved after he is gone. It is about the constant struggle and the small victories. It is not about the Kung Fu fighting heroes, but the ordinary heroes. And it is wonderful. And devoid of Kung Fu.
As of now, the movie is available to be seen here:
Be warned, though, the subtitles can sometimes get obscured by some website stamp every fifteen minutes or so. You might be able to find it through your local library system, as I did. Or, you can buy it off of Amazon.com for LESS THAN NINE DOLLARS. Seriously. Okay, maybe more than nine dollars if you include shipping and maybe taxes, but that is still pretty cheap.
Bruce Lee had said that we must be water. Perhaps taking this bit of wisdom to heart, Mr. Wang and his son Dafu tie a weight to their legs, and jump off a motorboat into the sea. Okay, maybe it was a murder-suicide attempt. In any case, it doesn’t work and they end up returning to their apartment.
It turns out Dafu has autism. It is a kind of calm and quirky autism, where he mostly moves his head around and wiggles his fingers. He has problems doing basic things, like dressing, cooking, using the bus, managing money, keeping that stuffed animal off the television. He does not seem to have any special special person talent, except for maybe swimming, which might be why the drowning attempt failed. No card counting, not even playing the piano. Kind of ironic for an Asian, perhaps. But he loves to swim. His social skills are not the best, but he finds comfort being with the animals at the aquarium where Mr. Wong works. He also strikes up a friendship with a juggler in a traveling acrobatic troupe, someone who feels a bit like a lost soul and sees something in him.
Dafu’s autism would not necessarily be a problem for Mr. Wang, except that Mr. Wang has terminal cancer. His wife died fifteen years ago and Dafu, in his early twenties, is too old to stay at the orphanage or school for the differently abled and too young to live in housing for the elderly. In other words, cooking crystal meth is not going to help Mr. Wang. There are other people who might be able and willing to look after Dafu, but Mr. Wang cannot be certain if their generosity will last or if their ability to help will be adequate. Short of another murder suicide attempt, all Mr. Wang can do is try to instill some basic skills to for Dafu to incorporate into his daily life. These sessions are long, repetitive, and often frustrating. Sometimes, you can see Dafu struggling to do what his father says, but not being able to fully comprehend.
About halfway through the film, Mr. Wang finds a place for Dafu can live and be looked after on a long-term basis. Still, it is not an easy transition, and Mr. Wang still needs to teach Dafu basic skills, not necessarily to live independently, but to be able to do certain things without assistance. It is no easy task. It takes patience, persistence, and love. Will Dafu be able to take care of himself enough to be able to survive without his father? Will he be okay without his father?
There are no villains, other than maybe the cancer and a system not set up to properly address Dafu’s needs. There are maybe people who do not understand Dafu or are less than sympathetic to his struggles, but no one mocking him day after day. In fact, there are many people who are sympathetic towards Dafu and his father, but maybe their level of patience, understanding, and ability are not necessarily up to the task. Part of Mr. Wang’s pain comes from finding the right people, and maybe learning to trust them.
For the most part, the movie is low-key and matter of fact, avoiding overpowering melodrama or philosophical grandstanding. I cannot comment on how well the movie portrays autism, cancer, or Chinese social services, as I am not that familiar with the subjects. Primarily, though, I think that this movie is all about love. The love of a father for his child. The hope and kindness that his love inspires within others. The lengths that he will go for his child. His desire to ensure that that child will still be loved after he is gone. It is about the constant struggle and the small victories. It is not about the Kung Fu fighting heroes, but the ordinary heroes. And it is wonderful. And devoid of Kung Fu.
As of now, the movie is available to be seen here:
Be warned, though, the subtitles can sometimes get obscured by some website stamp every fifteen minutes or so. You might be able to find it through your local library system, as I did. Or, you can buy it off of Amazon.com for LESS THAN NINE DOLLARS. Seriously. Okay, maybe more than nine dollars if you include shipping and maybe taxes, but that is still pretty cheap.