Source: crazyrichasiansmovie.com
Last weekend we went to see the very buzzed about movie, "Crazy Rich Asians". After reading the book by Kevin Kwan a few years ago I was very excited to see how it turned out.
I can say it was all I was hoping and then some.
It makes me feel really proud to see a mainstream movie featuring an all Asian cast get so much media attention and esteem. And though, as predictable as a rom-com plotline would be, it was refreshing to have nuisances that I could relate to as an Asian living in a Western world.
The fact is representation is important.
Ever since I was a teen I have been interested in the correlation of media and identity. In fact, in Year 12 I had spent a whole year writing a mini thesis on the topic for my English major work.
Having been a long term fan of Wong Fu Productions on YouTube, I have continually followed their journey of supporting the Asian-American community in their films. From highlighting the phenomenon of "Yellow Fever" to their latest web series "Yappie" they've been committed to casting Asian leads and creating opportunities to share stories of our experience.
Previously, it was the small wins of seeing an Asian face outside of a martial arts movie. But even so, they were often the token to make the cast look diversified, or stripped of any characteristics that made their heritage unique.
And where in recent times we felt the outrage of whitewashing Asians characters with white faces *cough* Scarlett Johansson in "Ghost in the Shell" and Emma Stone in "Aloha" *cough* we finally get to see a big screen Hollywood movie stay true in its representation of its source material.
Now don't get me wrong, I am not a stranger to seeing Asian faces on the screen - with the internet and growing library on Netflix, I can access all the K-Drama's I want. However, what I found most heartwarming was sitting in a theatre shared by people of all cultures, be entertained and touched by a character who's background resembled something similar to that of my own.
Outside of its cultural significance, "Crazy Rich Asians" is just a damn good popcorn movie that will give you laughs and the feels. The scenes of Singapore gave me flashbacks of my honeymoon and the soundtrack was cleverly done with Chinese appropriations of known English pop songs. What hit me most was the wedding scene, where the aisle song was the exact rendition of "Can't Help Falling in Love" by Kina Grannis, that I had used in my own wedding. And here I thought I had found something special, a hidden gem off YouTube. I'm sure you'll be hearing it a lot more in weddings to come. And with my anniversary just coming around the corner...
No, you stop crying. 😭
Crazy Rich Asians trailer
