Lee-Ann Kao

The House of Flying Daggers, scenes are also set in beautiful, dominant color schemes, but in this case, they do not reflect storylines. Instead, they reflect the changing seasons and the changing emotions of the characters, from the spring to the winter of the lovers’ relationship. The director put just as much effort into creating memorable choreography for both films, as characters engage in kung fu confrontations that seem like dances. Viewers can never forget the lone swordsman on a temple roof fighting off a hail of arrows in Hero, or the young blind woman leaping between bamboo stalks as she thwarts her enemies in House of Flying Daggers. The films are completely different in their messages for the audience.The most important takeaway from these exceptional movies is the question that they leave us with: which is more important, the good of the collective, or the freedom of the individual? Each film gives a definitive answer, but the films together undo their simple conclusions. One reason that they resonate beyond Chinese culture is because they deal with universal human questions. At some level, we all believe that there are times when we need to be selfless and think of the wider community, whether it be our neighborhood, town, or country. Yet at other times, we value our individual freedom to make choices, express our thoughts, and resist coercion by collective forces. Like the Yin-Yang symbol in Chinese philosophy, these two striking films actually complement each other, and while seemingly contradictory, actually fit together to present us with a coherent vision. When viewed as a dyad, they suggest that the true answer to this puzzle must be in finding some kind of balance between these impulses to defend individual freedom and to create a just and safe society for the benefit of all.

What is My Reality? Lee-Ann Kao