By Jordan Low
On the surface, A Confucian Confusion was a strange project for Yang to have pursued after his widely acclaimed masterpiece A Brighter Summer Day (1991). Eschewing the darker tone of his previous films, it is a satirical comedy in the vein of Ang Lee’s early work and much of Woody Allen’s. Like those two, Yang introduces us to a wide cast of young individuals in and out of love with one another at a pace almost too quick to follow, and this remains the primary flaw which keeps the film from attaining the same level of greatness as its predecessor. Qiqi (Shiang-Chyi Chen), a kind-hearted assistant to the wealthy Molly (Shu-Chun Ni), is engaged to Ming (Wei-Ming Wang), an eager bureaucrat who questions his ethics as he is caught up in his boss’s manipulation of a colleague’s downfall. Ming also has problems with Qiqi, who he believes is siding with her pal Molly more than her own fiancée. Molly on the other hand is subject to the affections of Akeem (Bosen Wang), another rich boy who begins comically over-the-top but dissolves to his true empty self by the middle of the film. Complementing these individuals are a slew of other interesting characters, each with their own backstory and role to play in the scheme of things.
Like his underrated Terrorizers (1986) and his final film Yi Yi (2000), Yang deftly balances dense interconnecting plotlines while still managing to sneak in subtle clues that demand repeat viewings. In Terrorizers, a scene involving vomit (which will remain unspoiled for viewers who have yet to see it) suggests that the few scenes preceding it were not at all what we were led to believe. Similarly mundane scenes in A Confucian Confusion, such as an exchange about a missing contact lens, seem trivial within the immediate context, but gain a significant meaning much later in the film. At neither point are these expanded upon, and Yang has enough confidence in his viewers to pick them up without losing the main plot (an admittedly tough ask upon a first watch).
The cryptic title of the film comes from a fictional novel by Molly’s reclusive writer brother-in-law (Yang’s co-writer Hung Hung) in which Confucius is reincarnated as a man on Earth but is unable to convince anyone that he is indeed the real Confucius. If he commits suicide, he is simply reincarnated again and thus the cycle never ends. Molly remarks on the tragedy of this protagonist’s predicament, unaware that it probably mirrors her own (as well as the rest of the ensemble’s). In one way or another, the characters are unhappy in their own situations and foolishly believe that they can improve them by simply seeking a way out, whether through an affair, a betrayal, or even confronting one’s enemies. By the end of the two-hour runtime, not much has really changed situation-wise, but Yang allows us some hope with the thought that at least the central couple of Qiqi and Ming have gained a new, less-confused outlook on life.
Rating: 8/10
A Confucian Confusion can currently be watched in low quality on YouTube here. A digital restoration will premiere internationally in October.
This review is part one of a three-part series of retrospective reviews by Jordan Low examining films to do with love and intersecting relationships in the modern world. Part two, a review of Weekend (2011), can be read here. Part three, a review of Little Children (2006), can be read here.
MELBOURNE UNIVERSITY FILM INQUIRER 