Asian Americans on the Big Screen

Hey everybody~

I thought the film that we watched this week is really interesting. I’ve thought a lot about this topic of Asian Americans in the film industry because in our APATH (Asian/Pacific American Theme House) program seminar we also talked about this. We watched “Better Luck Tomorrow” by Justin Lin, a movie about these Asian American teenagers. This film is very different other movies because the entire main cast is Asian and these characters break from the typical stereotypes. Our program invited Justin Lin and several of the cast to talk about the movie and why they wanted to make this film. One of the major reasons why Lin wanted to make this film, even when this is a low budget film, was not just to break the Asian American stereotype (because that was not really his intention of the film). He made this film to show that Asians can also act well and to give acting opportunities to Asians. Also, in the film, he shows a “different” side of Asian Americans. Because society already has a set image of how an Asian American is supposed to act, this movie shocked quite a lot of people. In the beginning of the film, it shows him memorizing SAT vocabulary, being shy about asking this girl to a dance, studying for biology, and other “typical” Asian American activities. But as the film progresses, you see the main character not only smokes, has sex, carries a gun around, but commits a murder. Justin Lin told us that at the end of the film, an angry old, white man stood up and yelled at him, asking why he would direct a film that was so degrading to Asian American, stating that “this is not the way an Asian American is supposed to act.” Another audience countered back and said “who gave you the right to say how an Asian American is supposed to act.” This really spoke to me. It made me realize that society already has a set mind about how we’re supposed to act. They think of us as passive, and that’s why it was such a shock for them to see an Asian American commit murder or to act in any other way besides as a model minority. Actually, the film kind of shocked me too. I guess through the TV shows and movies that I’ve watched, it’s hard for me to imagine an Asian American doing that. But later, I realized that this film depicts the truth. Just because we’re Asian Americans and considered the model minority, this doesn’t mean we aren’t violent or that we don’t commit crimes. I’ve watched a lot of Asian TV shows and movies ever since I was young and I never found it weird to see crazy, psychotic Asians killing others or getting revenge. So it surprised me that I found it weird when I saw this Asian American doing something like that. This made me realize that, growing up in an American society, where the media is a big part of my life, I’ve been accustomed to certain things. I really want to break out of that mind set. I really think there are a lot of good Asian American actors and actresses that need a chance to be on screen. They just need the opportunity. Isn’t America the land of opportunities? Asian Americans should not be held. I want future generations to not feel weird or surprised to see an Asian American doing roles that are not stereotypical. The reason why the audience is not demanding Asian Americans to be on screen is because there is no advertising of Asian Americans actors/actresses. If they see something with potential, they may want more of that later on. Examples I can think of are the Kaba Modern and JabbaWockeeZ from America’s Next Dance Crew. The reason why many people think Asian Americans can’t dance is mostly because they’ve never SEEN them dance. So this show really exposes the audience to some Asian American talents besides school work.

-Jennifer Y.