For while Jen, Li Mu Bai, Shu Lien, Lo, and Jade Fox each hail from different backgrounds, all of them bear the crushing social expectations of eighteenth century China. Understanding Jen’s changing identity illuminates not only her character, but all the others, too. The more I’ve watched, the more I’ve seen just how much change Jen undergoes as she seeks to reconcile the conflicting identities within her: governor’s daughter, lover, apprentice, warrior, sister, and monk. As the film ends and the landscape of granite peaks slowly fades to black, it’s hard not to feel like Jen has finally found peace.Įach time I’ve rewatched Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, I’ve tried to view the events of the film in the context of our hero’s enigmatic final decision. Jen’s dramatic leap is more of a gentle glide, and her face remains calm and impassive as the clouds slowly subsume her body. Her invocation of the young man, who in the legend sacrifices himself because of circumstances beyond his control to save his ailing parents, seems almost spiteful.Īnd yet, the camera paints a different picture. Jen dedicates her plunge to a wish she is perfectly able to fulfill herself. Lo: (closing his eyes) To be back in the desert, together again. Jen: Do you remember the legend of the young man? Lo: “A faithful heart makes wishes come true.” Jen: Make a wish, Lo. Why had Jen, upon ridding herself of her familial obligations and overbearing master(s), chosen not to return to the desert with her lover, nor continue her training at Wudan, nor even wander the landscape as a lone warrior like she did after fleeing her wedding, but instead hurl herself off a cliff?Īdding a cruel dimension to her decision were her final words to her lover, Lo, standing beside her: But never had I heard it described as tragic.Įven more puzzling to me was the simple question of why. I’d heard many people sing the film’s praises, highlighting its beautiful love story, breathtaking cinematography, and ensemble performances. Here was a mainstream, critical and commercial success whose conclusion, if taken literally, was the protagonist’s suicide.
Our hero, standing atop Wudan Mountain, poised to realize everything she’s struggled for, chooses instead to leap off its high peak, away from the lover and martial arts school that figure so prominently in her story.Īs an eight year old, watching Zhang Ziyi’s character jump off a cliff and into the clouds seemed a little silly to me, but no more so than the rest of the film, with its floating fight scenes that felt more out of The Matrix than Qing dynasty China.īut when I rewatched the film in high school, the ending felt out of place to me, almost jarring.
Nothing about Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon astonishes me more than its ending. Li Mu Bai, Jen, Shu Lien, and Lo (left to right).
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