Writer/director Lulu Wang has simply pulled off a miracle of moviemaking with “The Farewell.” Capturing a completely honest portrait of Asian American immigrant family life through a caring battle of cultural discourse, her film weighs Eastern hospitality and tradition against Western self-sufficiency. Her film is at once joyously celebratory and authentically melancholy, painting a specific and respectfully elegant, yet sometimes deliberately unflattering and nuanced, observance of race, family, and communication.
While “Crazy Rich Asians” was unquestionably an inspiring leap forward for Asian/Asian Pacific American (APA) representation, the movie was not without its issues – some that specifically contributed to reinforcing the Model Minority Myth and other misconceptions of ethnic/economic stereotyping. “The Farewell” paints a different portrait of APA life than the 2018 blockbuster comedy does, interrogating differences of ideological dissent by closely examining cultural expectation and Eastern philosophy’s inevitable tether to domestic care and duty.
Tellingly, the plot of both films is framed around a wedding, and it is the regal, decorative ceremony of matrimony in “Crazy Rich Asians” that is the real lie. The faux wedding in “The Farewell,” however, is based on a true story. Lulu Wang’s story.
Her achievement is simply one of the best films of the year. In honor of its opening this weekend, we thought it pertinent to take a look back at some other inspiring works that have aided in correcting issues of APA representation.
From whitewashing controversies to Yellow Peril propaganda, Hollywood history hasn’t always been kind in its portrayal of Asian culture(s). But right now, feels like a representational renaissance, with new voices appearing increasingly accepted by the mainstream. While no film can possibly expect to embody a whole culture or race in its entirety, these 10 films – many of which share similar thematic qualities – sure feel like they’re doing their damnedest.
“The Joy Luck Club” (1993)
Based on the acclaimed book by Amy Tan, “The Joy Luck Club,” is arguably the first mainstream, APA-driven, Hollywood film released to both commercial and critical success. The adaptation follows four Chinese immigrant families in San Francisco who open a mahjong club together. Like the gambling game, the narrative is split into four parts – the original novel’s parts also being divided into four sections. Director Wayne Wang previously gained recognition for his black and white comedy/mystery “Chan Is Missing,” considered by many as perhaps the first independent film directed by an Asian American to resonate outside the community and connect with a larger audience (it was later selected for preservation by the National Film Registry in 1995). The ensemble of women who make up the cast of “The Joy Luck Club” is just excellent – with Tsai Chin, Kieu Chinh, Lisa Lu, France Nuyen, Rosalind Chao, Lauren Tom, Tamlyn Tomita, and Ming-Na Wen playing the primary roles – while the film received some criticism for its unflattering portrayal of Asian men, and some of those points are fair. Still, the “The Joy Luck Club” remains a seminal stepping stone regardless of its imperfections.
“The Wedding Banquet” (1993)
It would be so easy to cheat and also put Ang Lee’s delectable slice-of-life masterpiece “Eat Drink Man Woman” on this list, but it’s really a Taiwanese production, whereas “The Wedding Banquet” – an American/Taiwanese co-production – was the official Hollywood kickstart to Lee’s soon-to-be lauded career and legacy. Winston Chao plays Wai-Tung Gao, a man happily living with his gay partner in Manhattan, only his parents expect him to marry traditionally – specifically they demand an opera singer of a precise height, who has at least two doctorates and speaks multiple languages. He ends up proposing to a girl in his building to help secure her a green card for her, and hopefully appease his parents at the same time – who soon announce their plans to fly in and pay for the extravagant ceremony. As you’ve probably gathered, the stakes of the comedy only calm down from there. Marginally speaking, “The Wedding Banquet” was the most profitable film made in its year of release – earning over $20 million back off a modest budget of only about $1 million. Alongside his debut film, “Pushing Hands” many have dubbed Ang Lee’s trio of family driven dramedies as the “Father Knows Best Trilogy,” and Lulu Wang’s film feels a little bit indebted to the Taiwanese master’s early movies in several ways.
“Mulan” (1998)
“Mulan” fans are keeping their fingers crossed that Disney’s new live-action version of their successful adaptation of the Chinese folktale will bring honor to the original legend. While it’s exciting to see a trailer for a take that doesn’t appear to be a shot-for-shot remake, the animated version still holds up. Like both “Beauty & The Beast,” and “The Lion King,” it’s debatable about whether there is a need for a rehash of such a recently made film that still plays so well and is of very high animation quality. But, maybe the plot differences – not necessarily the thematic ones – are what will set the new film apart. “Mulan” might be a musical for children but – in addition to being predominately voiced by APA actors and co-scripted by a Chinese American, Rita Hsiao – it’s also one of the most mature and layered works from the Disney Renaissance – dealing with cultural issues of tradition, honor, and dignity; it even goes so far as to question gender roles and address body shaming (there are most certainly queer subtext arguments to be made). Another interesting tidbit, on that note, is the fact that Jackie Chan – who voices Captain Li Shang in the Chinese translation – was not considered to have manly enough vocals for the U.S. version. Instead, B.D. Wong provided the dialog and Donny Osmund did the dubbing for the famous tune “I’ll Make A Man Out Of You,” a now-iconic scene that the new trailer makes a point of teasing; though, it is the exquisite song “Reflection” that is the heart and soul of Disney’s film.
“The Big Sick” (2017)
“The Big Sick” proved that specific cultural stories have both broad crossover reach and a lot of box office potential. Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon’s script for “The Big Sick,” was the first film about an Asian American romance that received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay. The film became a hit with critics and audiences alike, earning over $50 million off a very modest budget. Like “The Farewell,” “The Big Sick” is reliant on an honest and awkward approach towards human relationships and social prejudice, addressing both ethnic profiling and stereotypical assumptions in clever, dramatic and humorous ways. Similarly to “The Joy Luck Club,” the film received slight criticism for its portrayal of Southern Asian woman, but the movie is an undeniably affectionate and uplifting story, despite leaning heavily into accented comedy on a few occasions. Zoe Kazan, Amy Ryan, and Ray Romano all turn in great supporting performances, but this is Kumail’s movie, and he and Emily’s story. Frankly, we need more leading men like him, and we need more nuanced original scripts like this, films based on the Asian immigrant experience of everyday life.
“Columbus” (2017)
One of the most confident debut films released in the past decade, Kogonada’s moving discourse poem “Columbus” helped propel John Cho to acclaimed stardom and introduced most of the movie-going world to Haley Lu Richardson’s indelible charisma. Cho’s character, Jin – which Richardson hears as “Jim” when he first introduces himself – is a translator. He’s flown back from Korea because his father – who is a famous architect – suddenly collapsed and was recently hospitalized. Richardson’s character is also struggling with self-imposed issues of duty and obligation. Her mother, Michelle Forbes, is a drug addict, whose daughter feels compelled to care for her at the expense of her own career. One of the key scenes in the movie is the conversation in which their characters meet. Richardson spots Cho on a smoke break, speaking Korean on the phone. After hanging up he asks the American girl for a cigarette. She seems surprised he can speak English. “You don’t think Asians can speak English?” Jin jabs back. They soon develop a close connection over their fractured parental relationships, lack of individual fulfillment and some beautiful buildings. Despite ethnic differences and a generation gap, these two wandering souls are kindred spirits trying to find both their place and personality within the larger world. Additionally, the architecture-forward, composition style of Kogonada’s picture – the precise use of spatial depth and symmetrical imagery – further accentuates the themes of cultural tradition and honor bound alienation.