‘Wedding’: Gay Couples’ Perspectives On The Idea Of Marriage

GL Recaps Taiwan

2023-07-19
11:30

What if you dream about a beautiful wedding, but as time passes, you lose interest in it? Will you still pursue it for the sake of the one you love?

‘Wedding‘ is a short film starring Irene Chen and Gene. Using pseudo-documentary techniques, this short presents different views of gay couples on the idea of marriage. The story is about the gay couples Qing and Xiaofang. It was more than three years ago, when Yiqing and Xiaofang first started dating, that the marriage equality law had passed. Initially, they entertained the idea of marriage, but as time passed, they became less committed to the notion. However, during a wedding reception, they find themselves embroiled in a heated argument about whether or not they should pursue the idea.

WARNING: Spoilers alert! Read at your own risk.

The film opens with a cameraman filming them while Xiaofang is trying out a dress and asking her partner Qing to take a look if the wedding invitation is in their living room. But she told her that they didn’t need it as long as they had the red envelope, but Xiaofang insisted that they had to bring it, so she looked for it. Qing says that it seems like she’s looking for her stuff every day because she loves putting things in places without knowing where they end up. But the latter says that she’s just testing her memory. She’s a boring person, and she wanted to do some exercise for her, so she let her find things. Qing finally found the invitation, and the latter asked her to look where the venue was. They talked about how boring the cuisine was at the venue. Xiaofang suddenly asks her where she wants to get married, and the latter says she’s fine anywhere. She praised her beautiful makeup and gave her hugs and kisses.

While finishing her makeup, Xiaofang asks her again where she wants to get married. She said that all those venues that she mentioned were good, and she’s fine with whatever location as long as she likes it. Xiaofang says that when they first got together, she kept on telling her about life after the wedding, but now she has no idea how the wedding is going to be. But the latter says that she’s thinking of just making it official with a simple ceremony. A moment later, Xiaofang noticed that she had become serious, so she told her that she just asked her casually and she didn’t have to be angry. She told her that it was not like she was forcing her to marry her, and Qing suddenly closed the door. Xiaofang opens the door and tells the cameraman that she doesn’t want to fight and that she doesn’t know what she’s doing. But in the end, they laughed and hugged each other.

In their interview, Qing says she wanted to have a wedding. And it seems that Xiaofang wants her to propose, and it’s she who has a bad temper. In the video recording, the two women are still mad at each other. Xiaofang says that she’s not the kind of girl who wants to wear a dreamy wedding gown; she just wants to have a garden wedding, and it’s not like she’ll die if it doesn’t happen. While Qing says it’s not that she didn’t imagine their wedding, it’s just that she thinks it’s just a formality and doesn’t mean anything. And for her, it’s obviously a formality to show people. Back to Xioafang, she just feels like, because everyone knows they are together, it’s nice if they will hold a party for everyone. Go have some fun, and everyone will give them their blessings.

Back to Qing, she says that for her, she thinks about the image that will pop into her mind of her family coming to their wedding, and there’s a chance that it will be chaotic. She also says that she’s scared that everything will be out of control. And she confessed that her family didn’t know that she was dating a girl. Xiaofang says that she knows she’s having a hard time, but how will she know if she doesn’t give it a try? That night in their living room, Qing is busy on some papers while Xiaofang is looking again for something. And just like in the old days, Qing is the one who found her phone. The latter also forgot to book a place for her friend’s wedding, and again, just like in the old days, it was Qing who did the booking.

At the interview, they revealed that Qing finally told her mother that she finally figured things out, and it’s really obvious that her mother knew everything about them. And they got their blessings in the end. Xiaofang says that it’s been difficult, but it feels great. The two women admit that even though everything is settled, they still feel nervous about the wedding. They continue on their paperwork when Qing suddenly remembers that she forgot to take the wedding dress back. She also asks if her sister is coming the next day. But they laugh after realizing that they’re too nervous for the wedding.

A year after their wedding, the two told the interviewer about their lives after the wedding. Qing says that, basically, there aren’t many differences, but they are really happy. She says that their wedding was really nice and worth it. But Xiaofang says that after their wedding, she realized that it was really not necessary. There are so many things to deal with, and it’s exhausting and expensive. The film ends with Xiaofang realizing that for her, a wedding is really not necessary.

Marriage is a sacred thing and a celebration of the union of two people who wanted to spend their lifetime together. This short film shows us that sometimes we are just overwhelmed with the idea of a fairytale wedding. That’s why we wanted to get married. But in the end, you will realize that it doesn’t matter if you get married or not, as long as you are sure that you want to spend your life with the one you love.

Watch ‘Wedding’ in GagaOOLala.