The Motivation Behind the Struggles of Characters with Disabilities in You Xiaoying’s Film Big World

Abstract

This study examines the motivation underlying Liu Chunhe’s struggle and the representation of disability in Big World. A descriptive interpretive qualitative approach was employed through repeated film observation, dialogue documentation, screenshots, and a literature review. The analysis combines Maslow’s needs perspective, Self-Determination Theory, and John Fiske’s levels of reality, representation, and ideology. The findings indicate that Chunhe’s struggle involves aspirations for education, meaningful work, autonomy, and recognition. His grandmother’s encouragement supports competence and relatedness, while maternal overprotection and institutional rejection constrain his choices. Gestures, facial expressions, dialogue, framing, and contrasting domestic and public settings construct these motivational tensions. The film presents disability as an experience shaped by interactions between bodily conditions and social barriers. The study concludes that Chunhe’s agency develops through the relationship between personal aspirations and opportunities for participation, emphasizing recognition and supportive relationships in an inclusive understanding of disability.