Movie review of GuaSha.doc

Gua Sha is a treatment in traditional oriental medicine in which a wooden board repeatedly slides across the patients acupuncture points. It works in similar principles like that of acupuncture. This method would inevitably leave bruise on the skin, and the story begins here, when the visiting grandpa who does not speak any English used this traditional practice to treat the grandson when both son and daughter-in-law were at work.Da Tong is the father who is trying to integrate his Chinese cultural beliefs into his daily American reality, especially when dealing with his boss and best friend, who is too quick to believe the worst about Da Tongs treatment of his son, Dennis. Da Tongs failures show his confusion about the differences between his original Chinese culture and his new American home. Even within his family there is conflict because Grandfather cant speak English and is excluded from many conversations because Mother wants only English spoken in her home for the benefit of her American born son. Da Tong and his wife are very well educated and understand that their childs best chances for success in America, and for him not to experience the same troubles theyve had during the past 8 years, are to speak without an accent. They even go so far as to insist the boy use a fork and knife instead of chopsticks, even when its obvious they are still eating Chinese style food, served in the normal way: communal dishes for the food and smaller, individual rice bowls for each person. Mother seems a bit inflexible in her insistence on being as American as possible, while Da Tongs cultural leanings are just as strongly Chinese, although not by conscious choice.Da Tongs love for his son is tested severely when Da Tong tries to balance it against respect for his boss. When Da Tongs son hits his boss son, Da Tong insists on an apology that seems unnecessary and makes Da Tong look stubborn and uncaring. Da Tong gives his boy a light rap on the head when he refuses to apologize and the boy cries to his mother that the reason he hit his playmate was that the other boy called Da Tong stupid, one of many examples of doing the wrong thing to protect your family.Gua Sha shows how a persons cultural beliefs are so deeply set within oneself that it is usually impossible to examine why you do most anything, from how you dress and talk to whom you love and respect and how you show it. The invisible nature of ones cultural beliefs also makes it difficult to impossible to explain yourself to others when questioned. Da Tong experiences an excruciatingly painful and difficult struggle while trying to protect his son, an ordeal that forces him to examine the validity of some of the most vital things he thought he knew about his identity, his Chinese culture, and the new American world hed chosen as his home.The movie showed me how normal it is for people to look for ways that their culture is superior to others and how the misunderstandings a