092. Edward Yang: A Confucian Confusion

Girl, so Confucian. We sit down to unpack Edward Yang’s dark horse masterpiece, 1994’s A Confucian Confusion. Eli talks about his first time watching this zany comedy and how it reminded him of a lot of college friend groups. Wilson explains why he thinks this is Yang’s true deep cut film, and doubles down on the film’s belief on ‘emotional work’. Ben discusses how Yang injects A Confucian Confusion with an easy relatability and argues that this is a great starting point to Yang’s filmography. Is this a comedy of errors, a biting critique of modern society, or both? Join us as we unravel the layers of Yang’s underappreciated classic.

• • When Cinema Reflects the Times: Hou Hsiao Hsien and Edward Yang (1993) (Dir: Hirokazu Koreeda)

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Timestamps

(00:00) Intro

(04:43) General reactions

(11:57) Plot summary and context

(15:51) Character discussion

(30:30) Themes discussion: capitalism and emotion

(43:00) Behind the scenes documentary with Hou

(48:33) More character discussion

(55:00) Ending of the film

(58:50) Yang’s career