The month of May is recognized as Asian Heritage Month. The purpose of this celebration is to recognize the contributions and influences achieved by Asian and Asian-American people all around the world. This month can be celebrated in a number of different ways, from reading relevant pieces of literature like Obasan or attending a festival to better appreciate Asian culture. Whatever the case, Asian Heritage month is a wonderful opportunity to explore Asian and Pacific Islander art.

Art comes in a variety of forms. From painting to sculpture to film, art will forever be the best way to tell a story, express an opinion, or simply say what needs to be said. Asian cinema has long be a staple in film history, and its presence in Hollywood and North America at large has grown increasingly over the past few decades, with a particular surge in (overdue) recognition over the last five or so years. To celebrate Asian Heritage Month, we’ve picked out eight must-watch movies.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

8 Minari

     Plan B Entertainment

Minari translates to “water celery”, an appropriate name for a film about a family of new farmers who must adapt to a new way of life. When the South Korean Yi family immigrates to rural Arkansas, they discover what real resilience looks like and the importance of family. Set during the 1980s, Minari is a movie about the immigrant experience and a semi-autobiographical re-telling of director Lee Isaac Chung’s own upbringing. The film was subject to critical acclaim and was even deemed one of the greatest films of 2020. It received six nominations at the Academy Awards and broke new ground when Youn Yuh-jung won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, making her the first Korean actor to win an Academy Award.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

7 The Joy Luck Club

     Via: Hollywood Pictures

Set in San Francisco, The Joy Luck Club follows the lives of a group of older Chinese women who meet regularly and tell stories over games of Mahjong, each of these women has a daughter with whom they share unique relationships. A groundbreaking 90s movie, the film features a number of amazing Chinese stars including Ming-Na Wen, Tsai Chin, and Kieu Chinh. Based on the novel of the same name by Amy Tan, The Joy Luck Club explores the relationships between Chinese-American women and their Chinese immigrant mothers. The film’s unique structure involves flashbacks revealing more about the past lives of the mothers. In 2020, The Joy Luck Club was selected for preservation by the United States National Film Registry as being “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.”

6 Saving Face

     Sony Pictures Classics

In her feature film directorial debut, Alice Wu brings us Saving Face, a film revolving around Chinese-American surgeon Wilhelmina (Wil), her single, pregnant mother Hwei-lan, and her dancer-girlfriend Vivian. While Wil is still in the closet about her sexuality, things become difficult when her mother moves in with her; Wil struggles to keep her relationship with the openly gay Vivian a secret. While the film was not a huge success at the box-office, Saving Face has remained relevant and continues to be screened at film festivals. In 2020, Alice Wu released The Half of It, a spiritual sequel to Saving Face, which was subject to equal acclaim as Saving Face.

5 Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

     Marvel Studios

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings follows the story of Marvel character Shang-Chi who is forced to confront his past when his father Wenwu, the leader of the Ten Rings organization, seeks his help in search of a mythical village. As a part of the MCU, Shang-Chi received a great deal of attention for the box office records it set. The film was also subject to great critical praise for the action choreography, the performances from the cast, and the exploration of Asian culture, esepcially being the first film within the MCU to explore Asian culture and feature a lead Asian superhero, making a perfect mixture of culture and superpowers. The popularity of the film has even led to the green lighting of a sequel.

4 China Girl

     Vestron Pictures

China Girl tells the story of Tony from Little Italy and Tyan-Hwa from Chinatown, two young people who fall in love despite the fact that the romance between the couple is forbidden. The love between the couple spurs even more tension between the ethnic gangs, giving them an excuse for violence. A highly underrated film, China Girl is a retelling of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet from a more racialized perspective revolving around an interracial relationship. Released in 1987, China Girl brought a unique voice to the big-screen, allowing those within interracial relationships to feel heard.

3 Tigertail

     MACRO

Tigertail is a multi-generational drama revolving around Pin-Jui, a young Taiwanese factory worker who leaves his homeland and his lover behind to seek better opportunities in America. Years later, Pin-Jui is a shadow of his former free-spirited self, beaten down by a loveless marriage and the monotony of everyday life in America. Pin-Jui’s retirement gives him one final chance to live his dream life, but he must reconnect with his past to do so. Tigertail was praised for the performance from the cast as well as the realistic look at the unique immigrant experience in America.

2 In The Mood for Love

     Focus Features

One of Wong Kar-Wai’s best movies, In the Mood for Love tells the story of a man and woman whose spouses are having an affair with each other. As the pair spends more and more time together, they grow closer and wind up developing unintentional feelings for one another. Set in 1962, In the Mood for Love has special focus on the state of Hong Kong and their separate status as a democracy, separate from the rest of China, a status which was often under threat, leading many to flee Hong Kong. The film was subject to critical acclaim and was voted by the BBC as the second greatest film of the 21st century.

1 Better Luck Tomorrow

     MTV Films

Following the lives of Asian-American overachievers turned petty criminals due to boredom, Better Luck Tomorrow is a unique addition to this list. Better Luck Tomorrow was a critical success that tells the story of American teens from a uniquely Asian perspective. The film introduced a number of actors to the audiences, including Parry Shen, Jason Tobin, Sung Kang, Roger Fan and John Cho. Better Luck Tomorrow was directed by Justin Lin who directed multiple films within the Fast & Furious franchise, with Kang reprising his role as Han Lue, recognizing Better Luck Tomorrow as Han’s origin story.