Movie Monday: "Ilo Ilo," a film by Anthony Chen

This week, I wanted something that was completely different for me. I happened to find just this in Anthony Chen’s “Ilo Ilo,” a slice-of-life drama showcasing life in Singapore c. 1997, during the great economic crisis in Asia. I also reveals the dynamic between different ethnic groups within South East Asia, and hints at the relative hierarchy of each group. The relative economic differences between, say, Singapore and the Philippines is also shown through the characters’ relative situations, however it doesn’t reflect on which characters are “good” or “bad” in the traditional sense. Many of the actors are unknown to me, and likely many in Western cinema. The screen time is generously shared among the four main characters, so establishing who the “lead” is is problematic for Western audiences. Singaporean veteran actor Chen Tian Wen captures the hardships inherent as the struggling family patriarch Teck. Yeo Yann Yann plays is wife Hwee Leng, who is pregnant with a daughter and dealing with the stress of a hard marriage and a hard job. Newcomer Koh Jia Ler plays Jiale, a parent’s nightmare. A young man faced with his parents’ rocky marriage and hard life, he acts out at school and captures the challenges of any young boy learning for himself. Finally, we have Angeli Bayani playing Terry, a migrant Filipino housekeeper and maid. Bayani’s facial expressions, I think, capture the sort of “I must endure it” attitude necessary when faced with such hard choices as leaving your home for work, and the inherent, though not always obvious, prejudice against Filipinos among other South Asian groups. Many of the performances were spot on, and arguably very little could be added to improve the feel of the film. I appreciate that stereotyping wasn’t as prevalent in this film as in some American-made films, which often portray Asian characters, even in 2015, as martial arts masters, wise teachers and dragon ladies.

Jiale (Koh) is a troubled young man. He acts out at school and is constantly studying gambling odds when he should be focusing on his school lessons. His parents Teck (Chen) and Hwee Leng (Yeo) are at their wits end, finding their own stresses at work while trying to make allowances for their son. Finally, they decide to hire Teresa (Bayani), a Filipino mother looking for work in Singapore to help support her young infant son back in the Philippines. This film shows hardship piled on hardship, and helps introduce Western audiences to a different world that may be more similar than we’d think. There is good material here for looking at the ethnic hierarchies within South Asia, as well as the relative economic positions of immigrants relative to the majority. There is also just a good, quality film that is different than much of what comes out of Hollywood.

I found this film to be eye opening. Specifically, I have not seen many Singaporean films, nor have I had access to many films not made in China, Hong Kong, Korea, or Japan. It is refreshing to see films that showcase something different, without devolving into a kind of “poor me” attitude that is easy to take when showing non-Western films to Western audiences. The characters do not ask for your sympathy, but seem to say “see my endurance.” In the end, however, the human element tries to ensure we do feel for the characters, even troublemaker Jiale. Viewers will likely relate to the economic hardships the characters face, as much of the world emerges from an economic depression unseen for decades. Even when things get rough, however, the characters face their troubles as best they can.

This film is powerful, almost overly so. There were many moments where I felt “wow, I didn’t know it was like that.” The plight of Filipino immigrants trying to send money back home is a familiar situation with many Mexican immigrants looking to feed their families back home, especially here in California. This is not ancient history, or likely even history, as much as it is a reflection of what still happens today. While there is value is realizing what was during the 1997 economic downturn, analogies can be made today, and likely will apply in the future as well. Anyone interested in seeing something different (for me), and seeing a different world outside the most common depictions of Asian cinema would do well to check out “Ilo Ilo.” I wasn’t disappointed.

Stream / Purchase

Points of Interest:

Filipino women as housekeepers and maids, jealousy of relationships with children

Ethnic relations within East and Southeast Asia

Singaporean culture as it relates to other neighboring nations

“under the table” work of worker immigrants

Corporal punishment in cultures

Book Review: Suits Me: The Double Life of Billy Tipton, Diane Middlebrook.

By User:Villanueva at hu.wikipedia [Public domain], from Wikimedia Commons

In Suits Me: The Double Life of Billy Tipton, Ms. Middlebrook chronicles the life and career of jazz musician Billy Tipton, who began life as Dorothy Tipton. She addresses the challenges of gender identity, but also explores individual 1930s social responses to gender, and whether or not such identities were truly significant. She further investigates how gender identity significantly helped and hindered women’s access to careers during the 1930s, when women were still limited when men enjoyed nearly full access to a profession of their choice.

Ms. Middlebrook utilizes primary sources like audio tapes and photographs to piece together Tipton’s life. Her reliance on personal accounts of those who knew Billy Tipton strengthens many aspects of her argument. Such intimate details and discussions between spouses and colleagues lends itself to increased insight, particularly on the topic of sex. Some limitations include potential misrepresentation or questionable memories on the interactions, due to age or misunderstanding or personal reasons. This doesn’t belittle the value of first-person accounts, nor the strength of relying on such accounts to provide important insights. What is significant is these sources show how Tipton’s “wives” (for there was never a legal recognition of a marriage) and colleagues often didn’t know, or were largely unphased, by the birth sex of Billy Tipton, and recognized him as a loving father, partner, and musician, though very private and sometimes withdrawn.

Ms. Middlebrook chooses a chronological narrative, which works well to develop both Tipton’s transformation from Dorothy to Billy, but builds a solid foundation for understanding the circumstances surrounding his shift from Dorothy Tipton, an out of work musician, to Billy Tipton, a moderately successful jazz musician in the 1930s.

Ms. Middlebrook contributes successfully to a wealth of biographical narratives covering significant figures during the 1930s. A few contrasts to the Amelia Earhart book Still Missing seems appropriate, in light of the liberal feminist ideologies of the 1920s-1930s. Whereas Susan Ware’s book showcases prominent, talented females like Earhart and Hepburn proving sex to be no limitation to excellence, Ms. Middlebrook’s title character alters his persona to fulfill a role largely excluding women. This desire to fulfill a part Tipton felt born to perform meant securing access to the role by any means necessary. Counter to the figures of Still Missing, however, one would wonder whether Tipton’s life reflects a woman gaining access to greater independence through adopting the masculine persona, or whether Tipton’s goal was more individualistic, in that it served the purpose solely of allowing him to play jazz music. Nevertheless, what binds these two narratives together is an understanding that both Amelia Earhart and Billy Tipton built independent lives in their own way, when it was largely novel or scandalous to do so as women.

This book offers the reader insight into a little known persona, though now without one or two minor weaknesses. The action of cross-dressing and living as a person of the opposite gender seems almost benign for many socially-liberal individuals today. What seems fantastic is how Tipton managed to maintain the ruse for such a long time, especially during intimate moments with partners. Limited expansion over the motivations or reasons for Tipton transforming his identity, beyond desire to play and monetary demands from his family, seems a point of contention with this book. Though the author gives many options, it eventually falls to the reader to decide which is most plausible. Further, just how he did it, though perhaps intentionally left out due to lack of primary resources and being counter to the focus of the book. The interesting childhood, where mixed signals represented by Tipton’s father teaching her masculine activities as her mother desired a feminine daughter, meant Tipton may have been little constrained by traditional gender roles. Whether such actions make a statement about feminism in the 1930s, or mainly showcase the individual’s decision to access a profession through innovative means, perhaps becomes the book’s greater strength, to leave the reader pondering the ramifications of gender and social access to different professions.

The fact that success eluded Tipton, by his own actions, is understandable considering the chance someone would find out the truth under such media scrutiny, it almost seemed like “the game” and “the role” were more significant to Tipton than the success. Fulfilling the role of “father” and “jazz musician” became the key. The narrative is a rather quick read, also offering an easy style. A reader is left to wonder whether or not Tipton’s actions would be considered moral, given that many of the individuals present in Tipton’s life knew nothing of his true birth sex. Though such an accusation is countered by the fact that many who knew, including many individuals who played music with Tipton, show that as long as one could play, it mattered little what gender they identified with (though women were still largely prejudiced against). One almost questions whether Tipton performed a Catch Me If You Can-esque masquerade through gender deception, or if the draw to play music and live life as he saw fit was the primary, driving goal.

Recommended films: Some Like it Hot (1959), Billy Wilder; Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), Jim Sharman; Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), Chris Columbus; To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995), Beeban Kidron

World War II, Anti-Communism, Women's Liberation Movement

By CIA [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Two prominent circumstances greatly affect the politics of America during the latter half of the 20th Century. Taken together, it can be argued that US Cold War policy, Anti-Communist sentiments in the West, and the movement for women’s liberation resurrecting during World War II had direct influences over modern world circumstances as divergent as modern feminist movements, the presence of the Chinese Communist Party, and the Japanese State as a victim of nuclear weapons.

First we look at the Anti-Communist sentiments arising during the Second World War. Towards the end of the war, the United States and the Soviet Union were both working on, or completing work on, the development of the first nuclear weaponry. The United States, in part as a demonstration of international military might aimed at the Soviet Union, used the nuclear weapons “Fat Man” and “Little Boy” on the two cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima in 1945.

Scholars still debate the military, political, and social implications of the decision to use the bombs, from the argument that they saved both Japanese and Allied lives by avoiding a direct land invasion, while others claim the war would have ended naturally as dissidents within the Japanese leadership were already wavering on the war effort.

In hindsight, however, it is clear that the decision to use the bombs was, in part, influenced by the perception that there would be a continued conflict, whether cold or hot, between the two political systems of Democracy and Communism.

Second, we can also look at the diplomatic efforts of George Marshall to develop a unified government in China after World War II, and avoid a civil war between the Nationalist government of Chiang Kai Shek and the Communist leadership of Mao Zedong. When this mission ultimately failure, and civil war occurred when neither side willingly negotiated a suitable agreement, American politics trended towards a US Cold War policy of containment via international cooperation with Western Europe and East Asian allies. While the United States desired a more Nationalist China, they were aware of the Kuomintang’s shortcomings, and held no negotiating power over the Communists. Additionally, with the US Cold War policy of containment came the rise of the National Security State and Total Mobilization, where drills like “Duck and Cover” were commonly practiced by students and office workers. The development of the National Security State after WWII gave rise to many modern Federal departments we take for granted, namely the Department of Defense, the National Security Agency, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Central Intelligence Agency.

The rise and fall of the Cold War, and Anti-Communist movements spearheaded by the United States, greatly affected the modern makeup of the US Federal Government, the Chinese Communist government, and the status of Japan as a victim of nuclear weapons.

A second movement which greatly affected the politics of America was the continuation of the women's’ liberation movement, with beginnings largely in the 19th century, and arising as a sort of second wave in the 1970s, which still continues today.

During the War, with men being drafted into battle in Western Europe and the Pacific theaters, manufacture of military goods, consumer goods (what little didn’t go to the miltary), and work within factories fell to the large female population left. This gave rise of women as workers, personified in the ideal “Rosie the Riveter” image. The employment women gained during the war largely dissipated after the end of conflict, with returning veterans replacing the working women, and the manufacture of munitions and war-time production greatly reduced. Alongside this small taste of economic ability gained during the war, societal norms had to reconcile the tyranny of Nazism, it’s holistic influence among the population and their lives, and address domestic relations between and among the powers and the women and the segregated ethnic groups kept under their heel. The seeds of change were there, but would largely remain on the back burner until the 1960's and 70's, when the Civil Rights Movement, coupled with the counter-culture movement and a shedding of the 1950s norms of the nuclear family gave rise to a stronger motion for equality.

The circumstances of women as economically independent, or at least less dependent upon a man for sustenance during WW II, and the movement towards equality among the various ethnic groups AND gender groups during the 1960s and 1970s, still have repercussions today, where salary gaps are generally narrowing and sports develop leagues to accommodate women and men. The changing politics, commanding equality of ethnicity and gender in the workplace, can trace their development to the circumstances of women’s liberation.

Anti-Communist movements and the women’s liberation movement greatly affected the shaping of modern American politics in the 20th century. As the United States looks out towards the world, and the conflicts brewing in the Middle East, it will be interesting to see how the American movement towards liberation of gender will affect the development of politics in that region of the world.

Recommended Films: Grave of the Fireflies (UR), Isao Takahata; Breakfast at Tiffany's (NR), Blake Edwards; Barbarella, Roger Vadim (PG)

US Multiculturalism

By Maleliberation (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Multiculturalism has been a fundamental aspect of American society nearly since inception, when the colonists first encountered Native American tribes. From this, the United States as an entity has needed to address issues related to a citizenry of widely diverse backgrounds, which stretches all the way from historic times to today, and will continue to be an issue into the future. Two fundamental relationships are key in addressing the debates of modern multiculturalism in America. These relationships are religion and its relationship to the state and population and affirmative action and the government in race relations.

Firstly, one of the biggest issues at the forefront of a multicultural America is the apparent conflict between the “West” with the fundamentalist Muslims, a decidedly “Other” entity, to borrow Edward Said's terminology. With the significant rise of violence attributed to Muslims, people who are Muslim, associated with Muslims, or look like what Muslims are thought to look like are targeted as inherently against America. A style of “guilty until proven innocent.” The fundamental issue here is the reconciliation between national security, a product of US Cold War policy, and preservation of the rights of American citizens as guaranteed by the Bill of Rights and the Constitution this country was founded on. Examples abound of Muslim citizens being targeted for illegal wiretapping, government supervision, and general public mistrust by the fact that they follow a specific religion. Further examples speak of the detainment of citizens without proper charges or due process of law. Though the state has a mandate to protect the integrity of US borders and security, no mandate exists for the State to do so at the cost and erosion of citizens’ rights. A product of this move towards a national security state is also the lack of understanding among the general population, specifically in relation to people who “look Muslim,” but have little to do with the faith, or outwardly oppose the fundamentals of the faith.

An example of this is the news stories of vigilante militants attacking and harassing people of the Sikh religion. They do so because, through ignorance, they see the beard and turban and assume they are fundamentalist Muslims when, in fact, Sikhs particularly practice a faith where some tenets are opposed directly to some tenets of Islam, reflecting a long-standing cultural conflict between the two faiths. Moving forward, then, requires the greatest care to ensure that the state protects certain fundamental rights of the citizenry without taking away the rights afforded by the core principles of the country and that the people work to keep culturally aware and avoid simple “black and white” thinking.

Secondly, we must address the issue of Affirmative Action and related policies in relation to the selection and acceptance of students into university. According to the most modern Executive Order 11246, signed by President Lyndon Johnson, the movement of affirmative action

“prohibits federal contractors and federally assisted construction contractors and subcontractors, who do over $10,000 in Government business in one year from discriminating in employment decisions on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.” It also requires contractors to "take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed, and that employees are treated during employment, without regard to their race, color, religion, sex or national origin."

This has been further required that contractors document their policies for enforcing equal opportunity for review by the Federal government, outlined here:

“..required contractors with 51 or more employees and contracts of $50,000 or more to implement affirmative action plans to increase the participation of minorities and women in the workplace if a workforce analysis demonstrates their under-representation, meaning that there are fewer minorities and women than would be expected given the numbers of minorities and women qualified to hold the positions available. Federal regulations require affirmative action plans to include an equal opportunity policy statement, an analysis of the current work force, identification of under-represented areas, the establishment of reasonable, flexible goals and timetables for increasing employment opportunities, specific action-oriented programs to address problem areas, support for community action programs, and the establishment of an internal audit and reporting system.”

An interesting byproduct of such orders show that businesses and universities have developed, either implicitly or explicitly, policies which favor, or give certain preferential treatment to, underrepresented minorities in relation to acceptance into university. Several states have moved to take this to the ballot, with several also establishing that so called “points systems” favoring certain races over others is unconstitutional. California’s Prop 209 from 1996 describes this response:

“..upon approval in November 1996, [Proposition 209] amended the state constitution to prohibit state government institutions from considering race, sex, or ethnicity, specifically in the areas of public employment, public contracting or public education.”

In a circumstances surrounding the greater Civil Rights Movement, certain institutions exceeded what many felt was the original “flavor” of the order not by eliminating unequal opportunities among various ethnic groups, but giving preferential treatment and establishing unclear “quotas” for students of certain ethnic backgrounds. No longer based strictly on the merits of the applicant, some institutions swung towards selection based on the color of the applicant’s skin.

Few people still maintain the belief that races hold any true biological significance in relation to the greater human race. Few would openly wish to maintain the unequal institutions common before the Civil Rights Movement helped abolish segregation and certain “separate but equal” policies. The end goal, then, must be a level playing field based not on color of the skin, which is in and of itself a form of discrimination against merit-based selection, but one based solely on the abilities and talents of the applicant being reviewed. This balance, however, continues to be an issue as the US continues to become a more diverse landscape of backgrounds.

Recommended Films: Shawshank Redemption, Frank Darabont; Osama, Siddiq Barmak; Pushing Hands, Ang Lee; Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart, Wayne Wang; Smoke Signals, Chris Eyre

Progress in Political and Social Equality, 1960-1975

"AfricanAmericans," FEastman. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons

The US Postwar period of the 1950s through the 1970s marks a significant paradigm shift towards inclusion, at the cost of continued segregation and exclusion of African Americans and women from social status. The statement “Between 1960 and 1975, there was great progress in the struggle for political and social equality,” is essentially sound, given the circumstances, with the understanding that the path towards human equality remains a constant issue.

A number of incidents and circumstances between the Civil Rights Movement and the continued fight for women’s liberation share common cause towards equality during this period. Influenced by Martin Luther King Jr.’s influence and the aftermath of the Montgomery Bus Boycotts of the later 1950's, issues of human rights and calls for equality took a higher priority among the general social discussion.

The 1950's also saw, on a more international scale, the shift away from traditional patriarchal social norms towards a more inclusive slant, as nations began to rebuild after World War II. Emphasis on public education, and the desire to utilize all able human capital within the nation state, began to address common issues of unequal opportunity in places like Europe, the US, and Japan.

The 1960's, which contains the bulk of what we refer to as the Civil Rights Movement, further pushed the shift away from a “separate but equal” understanding in the South, with parallels to the 1950's “nuclear ideal” of women as domestic homemakers, excluded from opportunity in the larger social context.

The rise of the Vietnam War in the 1970's, coupled with the continued counter-culture movement against established cultural norms, as well as the climax of total desegregation within the Civil Rights Movement’s efforts in 1969, further influenced the liberation and shedding of many social norms aimed at women. Additionally, the US government under Jimmy Carter moved towards emphasizing human rights as a federal policy, thus addressing lingering issues of inequality among women and African Americans.

Honestly, the work is still continuing in the call for honest reevaluation in equality among people. With the United States being such a pluralistic society, with many ethnic identities and cultural interactions, the issue of what is “fair” and “equitable” will likely shift with current circumstances. Issues of unequal pay still plague women in the workplace, while minorities are still largely over-represented among the population in crime statistics and underrepresented among education statistics. Unfair targeting of specific ethnic groups represents the ongoing battle between crime prevention and invasion of fundamental civil rights. Finding concrete answers to these lingering issues will continue to challenge the people as we move into the next generations.

Recommended Films: American History X, Tony Kaye; Malcolm X, Spike Lee;

Book Review: Still Missing: Amelia Earhart and the Search for Modern Feminism, Susan Ware.

[Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons via http://e-archives.lib.purdue.edu/

Book Review: Susan Ware. Still Missing: Amelia Earhart and the Search for Modern Feminism. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. 1993. $19.13.

Susan Ware’s book Still Missing: Amelia Earhart and the Search for Modern Feminism argues that Earhart, while most certainly an exceptional example of young womanhood during the 1920's, was definitely a product of time and place. Earhart reflected the rising understanding of liberal feminism, specifically that by showcasing the talents and abilities of the exceptional individual, the entire gender would adjust minds by “proving” the category “woman” held no inherent handicap in achievement.

Ware’s strength is in her choice of chronological structuring of her text. Earhart’s philosophies seem to develop organically, particularly between the period of 1928-1937, although not limited to this range. By taking a chronological approach, Ware is able to build the drama of the tale, though we all know what the outcome will be. Nevertheless, Ware’s narrative is not about the end result, but the significance of the journey and the substance of Earhart’s life. Chronology also allows Ware to showcase, in her chapter “Popular Heroines/ Popular Culture” other women who occupy the same exceptional, liberal feminist pantheon of legends, particularly Katherine Hepburn, Dorothy Thompson, and Eleanor Roosevelt, to name a few. These case studies further emphasis on individuals as exceptional examples of possibility for women.

Ware structures her argument organically. This emphasizes clarity in understanding in a linear fashion. One strength here is this very clarity and understanding, as we understand time moving in a linear way. A weakness may be the temptation of thinking the events of Earhart’s life and philosophy were inevitable, or though the author goes to lengths emphasizing at different levels when things may have taken a turn (such as Earhart’s choice to marry G.P. Putnam, or her decision not to have children, or her choice of doing a world-wide flight in 1936-7).

Ware successfully utilizes primary source documents, particularly the words of Earhart herself, to emphasize her brand of liberal feminism and how her words and deeds sparked the imagination of possibility among vast numbers of young women. Ware’s argument suggesting how Earhart’s words and actions supported her aims of expanding women’s access is further supported through her use of unpublished primary source documents like private correspondence, that further emphasizes not only Earhart’s steadfast support of liberal feminist philosophies (avoiding sex-based laws of help or hindrance) remain behind the cameras as much as before them. Even given the limited availability of other primary sources, due to fire at Earhart’s home, Ware does successfully utilize the sources available and seems to mine them very well to emphasize her arguments.

This book encourages the reader to not think of Earhart as a legend, though she certainly was an exceptional individual and a fantastic self-promoter (also thanks to G.P. Putnam. Ware wants us to consider her as a product of 1920's liberal feminism, and as a larger-than-life hero to so many young ladies who see the possibilities within the context of this specific society. Earhart represents these possibilities, and showcases, as the main thrust of this book emphasizes time and again, that women of the 1920's wanted an exceptional example of what women could do, and women like Earhart, Roosevelt, and Hepburn reflected this want. It also emphasizes that liberal feminism was the vogue way of looking at  women’s roles within society and the workplace (among white, middle-class women and their fans). It wasn't sex that one should focus on, but the individual ability and talents, regardless of sex. Nevertheless, the book does not gloss over Earhart’s limitations, nor the limits of liberal feminism. Both Earhart and liberal feminists were largely white, middle-class or upper-middle class, individuals with exceptional talent and exceptional opportunity. The plight of minority women, particularly African-American women and economically disadvantaged women, whose options to excel seemed particularly limited.

In conclusion, Ware’s book expands upon the understanding of Earhart as feminist, and avoids further expansion on Earhart the legend. Ware succeeds at contextualizing Earhart, which is the main emphasis of her text. Earhart was reflective of liberal feminist thought, her contributions unfortunately overshadowed by her unsolved disappearance. Ware ends with a treatment of why Earhart might have taken that last flight, as a publicity stunt for a slumping career or as an answer to the social shift away from 1920's feminine heroes towards 1940's suppression of mass feminist movements. Earhart’s potentialities were not diminished had she successfully returned from her flight, and Ware wonders whether she would have taken a post at Purdue as a researcher or counselor, or taken another aviation-oriented “second career.” One wonders whether or not we would even be studying her had she not disappeared!

Ware’s case studies of other women further places Earhart within a context, although does not bog the reader down in details unnecessary for her main purpose, which is greatly appreciated. It is a fine example of blending narrative and scholarship to produce a product that will appeal to academic and layman historian, although academic historians will likely find particular points of critique, as with any text.