Same-sex marriage still sounds bizarre to many people nowadays, not to mention a marriage between a living and dead person. Marry My Dead Body, a 2022 Taiwanese comedy movie recently available on Netflix, crazily combines these two ideas and opens new possibilities for LGBTQ+ movies.
In the film, the protagonist Ming-han Wu is a homophobic police officer. He accidentally picks up a red envelope on the ground when he is investigating a case. He thus meets Mao Mao, a ghost who died unjustly in a car accident. Since then, Wu cannot get rid of Mao and he starts to have bad luck. Therefore, Mao’s grandma suggests Wu get married to her grandson to get back to his normal life. They then become a ghost-human homosexual couple, and begin to track down who killed Mao together. They also gain insights into the mentality of a gay and straight man over this weird yet heartwarming journey.
What does the red envelope mean, and why does Wu need to marry a dead person? In fact, ‘ghost marriage’ is a folk tradition that originated in China. A ghost marriage usually takes place when an engaged couple dies before getting married, or when children die young and unmarried. However, the reason for ghost marriage is a bit different in Taiwan. In Taiwan, some parents will do a ghost marriage for their daughters who pass away unmarried because of accident or sickness. They feel pain that their daughters will be alone in the afterlife, so they put red envelopes representing their daughters on the road. They will ask the one picking up the envelope to marry their daughters. Ghost marriage nearly disappears nowadays, but it is still common in some less developed regions or traditional families. The saying ‘not to pick up a random red envelope on the floor’ is still common too.
Mao passes away a few years after same-sex marriage is legalised in Taiwan. His grandma feels so upset that he cannot marry his loved one, so she is very excited when she finds that a male picks up the envelope. The director and scriptwriter creatively change this tradition with over 3000 years of history into the form of homosexual marriage. For example, the shaman of the ghost marriage funeral calls Wu and Mao ‘bridegroom 0’ and ‘bridegroom 1’ rather than the bridegroom and bride. While the awkwardness makes the scene of the ceremony hilarious, it is touching to see Mao’s grandma, her friends, and the shaman try their best to twist the traditions and sincerely feel happy about Mao’s marriage.
It is a general belief that the younger generation is more open-minded and supportive of LGBTQ+ whereas the elderly are stubborn and conservative. However, this movie breaks this stereotype by comparing Wu’s and Mao’s grandma’s attitudes towards gay couples. The former is young and homophobic, but the latter unconditionally supports Mao’s sexual orientation. She joins the Pride demonstration with him too. Even the traditional ritual of ghost marriage, which is historically meant to be between men and women, can transform to be modern and inclusive. ‘Old and young’ or ‘tradition and modernity’ are not enemies against each other. With respect and acceptance, they can be harmoniously blended with each other.
Straight/gay is another binary rhetoric that the movie challenges. Popular culture usually portrays gay characters as soft and promiscuous, and increasingly associates the idea of a ‘straight guy’ with being self-willed and disrespectful. However, does sexuality necessarily imply a specific set of personalities? When Mao ‘possesses’ Wu’s soul, Wu behaves like Mao with his characters. Also, Wu and Mao have a visceral argument with each other in the second half of the movie. Mao blames Wu for being self-centered, and Wu rebuts that Mao is just the same. He never listens to others’ opinions and handles his past romantic relationship well. This scene not only pushes the tension toward its peak, but also delivers a key message to the audience – we are just human beings with different personalities. It is nothing about sexuality.
It cannot be denied that some scenes in this movie are stereotypical in terms of the representation of non-binary people. For instance, the gay bar is awash in pink light and many people there wear revealing outfits. Mao always talks in a feminine way too. Probably it is inevitable for the movie to make compromises to cater to the taste of mainstream audiences and create comedic effects.
Nevertheless, these scenes do not make the movie offensive as they are not its major focus. Unlike the other LGBTQ+ films that illustrate the struggles or plight of the non-binary community, this movie presents the fluidity of tradition, personality, and sexuality. It is a comedy, but it does not make jokes about any groups of people in society. It explores the common topic of diversity in a fresh and absurd, yet inspiring and touching way. The original film title means ‘about a ghost becoming my family’. People found it normal to marry a ghost 3000 years ago. Then, why is forming a family with a person of the same sex unacceptable?
The Taiwanese film industry has been growing vibrantly in recent years, and many great productions with creative story lines and cinematography have been available on streaming platforms. Diversity is essential to both our society and the global movie industry.
Words by Angel Sun