Headscratchers / Mulan (2020)

• Did anyone else notice there's a loophole in the rules of the Imperial Army? The penalty for desertion is death, but the penalty for dishonesty is expulsion. So if you want to desert without being punished for it, all you have to do is tell a lie, and as "punishment" they'll...send you home. Which is exactly what you wanted.
  • The penalty is not just expulsion: as we see in the movie, expulsion entails a huge shame for you and your family, and in the society the movie is set in, such a shame is one of the worst things that could happen to you. Basically you can't return to your hometown without becoming a pariah, and even your family will most likely disown you. So yeah, if you really don't wanna risk dying in the war you might still choose that option, but it's not exactly a "get out of jail free" card.
• In the movie Mulan's mother is worry that Mulan's Chi-controlling extraordinary abilities would make people think she's a witch. And, the problem with that is what exactly? This isn't Christian Europe, witches are well regarded and respected in Chinese culture since ancient times and in fact witchcraft has an important role in Taoism and Chinese Folk Religion with witches acting as shamans and priestesses. If anything be a witch would bring her a whole new well respected and well paid position.
  • The answer is that the writers of the movie are Christian Westerners, and, like the whole eastern dragons vs western dragons thing, Woman + Witchcraft = Evil is extremely deep-burned in the minds of the Western World.

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