Cinematic Language under the Female Gaze: A Case Study of Li Yu

Abstract: This paper aims to discover the concept of the female gaze in the movie Lost in Beijing by Li Yu. The female gaze is a film theory that is in opposition to the male gaze, which is a way of viewing women as sexual beings and not as complex people. This paper posits that Li Yu uses the female gaze as a post-modernist technique to focus on the emotional and psychological aspects of the female characters, thus overturning the established Patriarchal gender norms and bringing to the fore the issues of gender inequality in contemporary Chinese society. Certain filming approaches, including those that include close ups and reflective shots, affect the experience of the film's main subject, who are women. The research also reviews the variance between the 'male gaze' and the 'female gaze' in movies, pointing out that the former is much more forthright and authentic in its portrayal of women. Lastly, the paper considers the further developments of the concept of the female gaze and possibilities to transform the film industry from the perspective of the female representation.