My Wedding and Other Secrets

Directed by Rosanne LiangFirst appearance in 2011

What is the scene and why is it important to the film?

My scene is of the family dinner at which Emily confesses that she is in love with James. This scene is important to the film because it is when Emily's father tells her he already knows and that he "hoped she would come to her senses".

It is also important because Emily's father gives James a chance, by saying that he must learn basic Mandarin if they want to continue their relationship. Emily thinks this is way beyond what James should have to do but says nothing.

The setting

The setting of this scene is a family dinner at the table. This symbolises that no matter what has happened, they are still a family. The mood of the dinner is apprehensive because everyone knows something that someone else should not know. The dining room is brown because it symbolises that it is home, safe and has endured many things. The setting of the dinner is homely and shows that they have had many dinners there and it is family.

Props

The props in this scene are the food on the table and the chopsticks that everyone is using. There is a lot of food which means they are feeding a lot of people, their whole family. The food is also traditional Chinese, their parents' homeland culture. The use of chopsticks is also for the culture. 

Clothing

All the clothing in this scene is pale, which contrasts with their black hair and brown skin to show that they are a different colour on the outside. The mother and Emily's sister Susan are both wearing pale pink, which symbolises their love, caring and tenderness. Emily's other sister Susan is wearing a grey cardigan and a black top. This symbolises her sadness and mourning of the death of her friend. The father is wearing pale yellow to show that he has hope and is optimistic that his daughter will give up on James.

How these elements combine

I think these elements combine together very well. The brown homely dining room and the large amount of food combine together to signify a family home. The traditional Chinese food and the chopsticks show that they are Chinese and they celebrate that.

The pale clothing to contrast their black hair and brown skin fits in well with the scene because Emily's father makes a racist comment about the fact that James is white, and this shows that they are a different colour to James, even though the daughters grew up in a "white" world.