1) Relate what was discussed in class or the text to the screening.

This week we had the pleasure to view The Wedding Banquet film from Taiwan. It was

noted that the director of this film, Ang Lee, has become one of the greatest contemporary

filmmakers of our generation. His most well-known movies are the following: Crouching Tiger,

The Hulk, and The Life of Pi. What was also interesting is that during class we talked about

traditions in the Taiwan culture. In the film, we see a lot of red being used especially for the

wedding reception. Red is considered a symbol for good luck and good fortune. It is part of their

cultural norms to throw extravagant weddings to show how wealthy or important the family

members are. Another tradition that was discussed and seen in the film was the night of the

wedding reception. The main characters friends come and barge into the hotel room with games

and alcohol. This is done to celebrate even more and to see how long they can keep the

newlyweds awake.
2) Find a related article and summarize the content. (on the film, director, studio, actor/actress,
artistic content, etc.) You can use the library or the internet. Cite the article and copy the link to
your journal entry. Summarize in your own words the related article but do not plagiarize any
content. Make sure your link is a true hyperlink that will connect to the article you are
referencing.

Coming Out, Disclosure and Passing

Coming out, is a term that is commonly used in the LGBTQ+ community that refers

to individuals disclosing about their sexual identity. It serves as a metaphor to express ones

true self the those around him or her. Coming out is seen as one life time event. However,

researchers have concluded that this process happens more than once.

There is an ongoing process of coming out for many reasons. One may be managing his

or her identity during a passing event. Passing is a term used when heterosexuals assume that

an individual is straight in a given situation. This can cause someone to share about their sexual
identity. When an individual meets new people such as a partner or friend they may also have

to reveal their true self.

There are various motivations and methods to come out. External forces can determine

whether a person reveals him or herself. Parental perspectives, religious practices, unsupportive

or accepting environments are some of the few factors that an individual may have to deal with

when considering coming out. They may come out in a letter or verbally tell someone. There is

not one specific way people can come out. It is entirely up to the individual and what makes

them most comfortable tackling such a vulnerable moment.

3) Apply the article to the film screened in class. How did the article support or change the way
you thought about the film, director, content, etc.?

This article supports the film because it supports the content of the film. Wai-Tung hides

the fact that he is gay from his parents. When they call and ask how he is doing in the romance

department, he lies and says he is seeing someone (Wei-Wei) who he is soon to marry. Wai-Tung

has a partner, Simon. He hides this fact from his parents because they live in China and follow

strict conservative views. He is afraid of what they will do or think of him after the truth is

revealed.
 Wai-Tung is forced to come out to his parents after a huge dispute breaks out between

him, Simon, and Wei-Wei. His parents take it relatively well. However, the film highlights the

issues one may face when contemplating coming out. In this case, religion and traditions keep

Wai-Tung from being his true self around his parents.

4) Write a critical analysis of the film, including your personal opinion, formed as a result

of the screening, class discussions, text material and the article. I am less interested in whether

you liked or disliked a film, (although that can be part of this) than I am in your understanding

of its place in film history or the contributions of the director.

It is interesting that this film takes viewers on a rollercoaster ride along with the

characters as they decide to come up with a plan to marry Wai-Tung and Wei-Wei without the

parents figuring out the truth. They go to extreme measures to ensure Wai-Tungs secret is kept

under wraps. I really enjoyed this film because it gives the LBGTQ+ community visibility on the

situations they sometimes have to face and deal with. Coming out is a huge milestone in an

individuals life. It marks the start of that person finally being able to be the person they want to

be. This road is not always easy nor the same for every individual.

This film was particularly important in its time and now because of the lacking voice

people needed to hear. Very few figures during the 1990s were expressing to their mass

audiences to be themselves and to not be ashamed of the person they were born to be. The

director of this film odes this in a comedic yet serious way. Sometimes we are faced with internal
battles such as accepting our sexual identities. It makes it that much harder when there are no

supporting roles in your life where you feel that this one aspect of your life hinders you. Coming

from personal experience, I have learned that my sexual orientation does not define my successes

in life. It is just a simple piece of the puzzle that makes up Jailene.

Orne, J. (2016). Coming out, disclosure, and passing. In A. Goldberg (Ed.), The SAGE

encyclopedia of lgbtq studies (Vol. 3, pp. 247-250). Thousand Oaks,, CA: SAGE

Publications Ltd. doi: 10.4135/9781483371283.n89

Plagiarism Checklist
CHECKLIST FOR PLAGIARISM

1) ( X ) I have not handed in this assignment for any other class.

2) ( X ) If I reused any information from other papers I have written for other
classes, I clearly explain that in the paper.

3) ( X ) If I used any passages word for word, I put quotations around those
words, or used indentation and citation within the text.

4) ( X ) I have not padded the bibliography. I have used all sources cited in
the bibliography in the text of the paper.

5) ( X ) I have cited in the bibliography only the pages I personally read.

6) ( X ) I have used direct quotations only in cases where it could not be

stated in another way. I cited the source within the paper and in the
bibliography.

7) ( X ) I did not so over-use direct quotations that the paper lacks

interpretation or originality.

8) ( X ) I checked yes on steps 1-7 and therefore have been fully transparent
about the research and ideas used in my paper.

Name: Jailene Burgos__________________ Date:

4/17/17_________________________