Be Water

Bruce Lee was born in America, grew up in Hong Kong, returned to Seattle at eighteen, and began teaching martial arts there. In Hollywood he was stuck in supporting parts for years; the television series he developed himself was not given to him. In 1971 he went back to Hong Kong and in the two years before his death made the four films that made him known worldwide. Bao Nguyen's documentary tells this not as a fighting career but as the story of someone who could not find a place between two countries. The narrative takes on directly the period in which American cinema was closed to Asian actors, and uses long passages from Lee's own writing. Most of the images come from archives; his daughter Shannon Lee, his wife Linda Lee Cadwell and his students speak. The title comes from something Lee himself said. Who it's for: Viewers who like Bruce Lee, sports and cinema documentaries, and narratives about representation. Who it's not for: It will not satisfy anyone expecting the technical side of the fight scenes. Resting on the view of those closest to him, the narrative is not critical either.