«Gong Fu Dao» tells the story of Gabrielle Boudreau, Jing Lianzhen and Wang Bo. The three protagonists live in different cities (Montreal, Bern, Shanghai), however all of them have committed themselves to Chinese Martial Arts. The documentary examines the reasons for their complete devotion. It investigates what kind of effect the practicing of Chinese Martial Arts has on their everyday lives and what the traditional techniques and philosophies mean to modern-day people.

In order to reveal the relation of practicing Chinese Martial Arts and everyday life, the documentary follows the protagonists through their daily routine, observes them during training and looks into the characteristics of different fighting styles. By combining and contrasting the stories of their lives and personal reflections, the film creates a dialogue about existential themes like self-esteem, courage, autonomy, addiction, aggression, peaceableness – and finally, the search for an identity in a complicated, contiuously changing multicultural world.

«Gong Fu Dao» is a personal film that refuses simple answers. In addition to the stories of the protagonists and their philosophical reflections, the film employs strong and moving images, the physicality of Chinese Martial Arts, the atmosphere of the settings, facial expressions and body language as important narrative elements.

 

Production: Frank Matter, soap factory GmbH Basel
Co-production: Pierre Marier, les films du tricycle, Montreal, Canada
Director, Script: Juliette Forster