By Heart

“The Rules for Students are the Sage's teaching... First be good to parents and respect elders; next be reverent and trust worthy. Love everyone and become close with the kind-hearted. Then, if there's energy left, one may use it to study books.” Such is the opening lines of the Di Zi Gui, "Standards for Being a Good Pupil," a traditional Confucian text in classical Chinese verse made for children to be indoctrinated to the basic teachings of Confucianism and Chinese culture. Something everyone has to know… The film follows Catherine as she tries to figure out a way to hold on to her American roots and identity, after being brought to Taiwan due to her parents' separation, through resisting an indoctrinating Confucian text she has to memorize at school.