Confucian Dream
Mijie Li
| China, USA
| 2019
| 86 min
Despite an education, a family, and a job in modern China, Chaoyan sees emptiness in her comfortable life. With other like-minded parents, she seeks hope for her family in the ancient wisdom of Confucianism. Her first mission is her son’s education. However, reviving nearly extinct traditions and integrating them into a modern lifestyle proves to be much easier said than done. While Confucianism’s primary purpose is to instil peace and harmony, the opposite occurs, as Chaoyan’s ambitions incur the wrath of her husband. Split by different values, the family finds itself approaching a breaking point from which it might never recover.
Director Mijie Li
Producer Mijie Li, Betsy Tsai, Jeff Reichert, Violet Feng
Premiere Australian Premiere
Section International Competition
Festival Year 2019