You are here:

A Great Wall

Name: A Great Wall
Director: Peter Wang
Released: 1986
Duration: 97 min

Representation Score

4.0/10

Limited

1986

Director

Peter Wang

Runtime

97 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

A Great Wall offers a nuanced look at the Asian-American experience by centering a minority family's journey. It moves beyond peripheral representation to explore the friction between diaspora identity and ancestral heritage. The film's strength lies in its critique of systemic exclusion and the complexities of navigating two different cultural landscapes. However, the film lacks engagement with LGBTQ+ or disability narratives, focusing instead on traditional family dynamics and the cultural clash between Western and Eastern social norms.

Watch this, not that →

Category Breakdown

Does A Great Wall have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film focuses on traditional familial structures. There is no evidence of queer themes or non-straight-centered identities within the narrative.

How does A Great Wall portray gender?

Fair

The story highlights cultural clashes between men, wives, and teenagers, focusing on shifting roles and domestic expectations within a patriarchal framework.

How racially and ethnically diverse is A Great Wall?

Excellent

The film centers a Chinese-American family, giving them a significant role in driving the story and explicitly addressing the professional barriers they face due to their ethnicity.

How does A Great Wall represent religion and culture?

Good

The narrative explores the tension between Westernized lifestyles and traditional Eastern values, examining the complexities of belonging and globalized identities.

Does A Great Wall include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no mention of characters with visible or invisible disabilities in the story.

Present on Screen

Centers a Chinese-American family, giving them a significant role in driving the story
Addresses systemic professional barriers and ethnic identity with nuance
Explores the tension between Westernized and traditional Eastern values

Limited or Absent

Lacks representation of LGBTQ+ characters or themes
Does not include narratives addressing disability
Focuses primarily on traditional familial and patriarchal structures

Official Synopsis

When computer programmer, Leo Fang, is passed up for promotion, he feels it is because he is Chinese, and quits. He takes his Chinese-American family to Mainland China to visit his relatives, the Chao's for a vacation. The clash of cultures, between the men, wives, and teenagers, leads to some confusion, and misunderstanding.

How are these scores produced? →