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Tatler Asia
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Tatler Asia
What to watch: 6 shows that celebrate Asian American and Pacific islander stories
2. 'Crazy Rich Asians' (2018) When Chinese-American professor Rachel Chu accompanies her boyfriend to Singapore, she discovers his family is obscenely wealthy—and that his mother considers her utterly unsuitable. Adapted from Kevin Kwan's bestselling novel, the box office hit is the first major Hollywood studio film with an all-Asian cast in 25 years. Beyond showcasing jaw-dropping opulence, the film explores distinctly Asian hierarchies, the weight of familial obligation, and the tension between those who migrated and those who remained. The mahjong showdown between Rachel and matriarch Eleanor Young (played by Michelle Yeoh) remains a masterclass in storytelling, communicating volumes through the strategic positioning of tiles. Also read: Everything we know so far about the 'Crazy Rich Asians' sequel 3. 'Saving Face' (2004) Among the groundbreaking Asian romance films, Saving Face revolves around Wil Pang, a Chinese-American surgeon juggling her mother's expectations, her community's traditions, and her growing feelings for a ballet dancer. Long before representation was a Hollywood buzzword, Wu crafted this tender exploration of lesbian identity within the constraints of a traditional Chinese-American community in New York. When Wil's widowed mother arrives pregnant and unmarried at her doorstep, both women find themselves navigating shame, secrecy, and the possibility of redemption. Saving Face has become a touchstone for Asian-American queer cinema—and a thoughtful choice for what to watch if you're seeking powerful, under-the-radar love stories. 4. 'Shōgun' (2024) When a mysterious European ship washes ashore in 17th-century Japan, English pilot John Blackthorne becomes entangled in the power struggle that will determine Japan's future. FX's TV adaptation of James Clavell's novel marks a revolutionary shift in how Japanese feudal history is presented to Western audiences. With most of the dialogue in subtitled Japanese, the series meticulously recreates the Edo period, from the political machinations of rival daimyo to the social codes governing every interaction. Hiroyuki Sanada, who also serves as producer, brings gravitas to Lord Toranaga, while Anna Sawai, in her Emmy-winning role as Lady Mariko, portrays the constraints placed on even the more influential women in feudal Japan. If you're browsing what to watch this week, Shōgun is a visually stunning and culturally grounded pick. Also read: Who is Anna Sawai? Get to know the first Japanese woman to win an Emmy for best drama actress 5. 'Never Have I Ever' (2020-2023) High schooler Devi Vishwakumar's quest for popularity and romance is complicated by grief over her father's death and familial expectations as a first-generation Indian-American. Mindy Kaling's semi-autobiographical Netflix series reinvents the teen comedy by placing a brown girl with anger issues at its centre. From navigating cultural customs to dealing with comparisons to more successful cousins, the show explores the nuances of growing up Indian in American suburbia. Tennis legend John McEnroe as the unexpected narrator perfectly complements Devi's hot-headed personality. The show's frank discussion of arranged marriages, Hindu traditions, and intergenerational trauma provides specificity without being didactic. Also read: Exclusive: Netflix's 'Never Have I Ever' star Maitreyi Ramakrishnan talks season two 6. 'Moana' (2016) In an effort to save her island, a Polynesian chieftain's daughter embarks on an ocean voyage with the help of ancient wayfinding traditions and a reluctant demigod. The film's Oceanic Trust, composed of Pacific Islander experts, ensured that Polynesian wayfinding wasn't just a plot device but the spiritual backbone of the narrative. Their feedback helped shape the film down to the small details in Moana singing to the ocean and Maui recounting his feats through his tattoos. The soundtrack, which weaves Samoan, Tokelauan, and Tuvaluan lyrics with contemporary elements, amplifies this cultural specificity. Following the success of the original film and its 2024 sequel, anticipation builds for next year's live-action adaptation, which brings back Dwayne Johnson as Maui and debuts Catherine Lagaʻaia as Moana. If you're looking for what to watch as a family while celebrating Pacific Islander heritage, Moana remains a joyful, generation-spanning favourite.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Queer Asian-American movies you should absolutely watch
Sony Pictures Classics; Bleecker Street Wil (Michelle Krusiec) and Vivian (Lynn Chen) dance in Saving Face; Min (Han Gi-chan) and Chris (Bowen Yang) embrace in The Wedding Banquet (2025). Representation matters, and for queer Asian-Americans, these movies can mean the whole world. Queer Asian-American filmmakers like Gregg Araki, Alice Wu, and Andrew Ahn have made some of the best movies of the last three decades, anc have done so while highlighting members of their own community. There great queer Asian movies like Happy Together, The Handmaiden, and Your Name Engraved Herein, but for this list, we're going to focus on films that highlight the Asian-American experience. Two directors, Wu and Ahn, each have multiple films on this list, and continue to make some of the best representation for queer Asian-Americans on screen. Ahn's newest movie, a reimagining of Ang Lee's The Wedding Banquet, releases in theaters April 18. It stars Han Gi-chan as a Korean immigrant who asks his lesbian friend (Kelly Marie Tran) to marry him so he can get a green card after his boyfriend (Bowen Yang) turns his proposal down. Ahn says that Lee's version of the film was the first queer Asian-American film he saw, and helped inspire him to tell his own stories. That's the power of representation and authenticity in film. When a person sees themselves on screen, they can become more and do more. If you're looking for some inspiration or just a good movie, check out these nine films about queer Asian-American lives and love. Subscribe to TRAILERS: Subscribe to COMING SOON: Subscribe to CLASSIC TRAILERS: ... - YouTube In Ang Lee's original version of The Wedding Banquet, bisexual Taiwanese immigrant Gao Wai-Tung (Winston Chao) has a boyfriend, but decides to marry a Chinese woman he knows to please his traditional parents and get her a green card. However, things go awry when his parents show up in the United States to throw a lavish wedding banquet. This film is unavailable for streaming in America. First of the Teen Apocalypse Trilogy, Writer and Director Gregg Araki's TOTALLY F***ED UP. Releasing for Video on Demand on ... - YouTube Japanese-American director Gregg Araki made this 1993 drama about the dysfunctional lives of six gay adolescents, four gay men and two lesbians, who form a chosen family. It's the first film in his Teenage Apocalypse trilogy, preceding the films The Doom Generation and Nowhere. Streaming on . Saving Face follows Wilhelmina ("Wil"), a young Chinese American surgeon, as she deals with her unwed mother's pregnancy, ... - YouTube This 2004 romantic comedy-drama is the feature debut of filmmaker Alice Wu, and stars Michelle Krusiec as Dr. Wilhelmina "Wil" Pang, a closeted lesbian, and Joan Chen as her mother, Hwei-Lan. As Wil is beginning a new relationship with a woman named Vivian (Lynn Chen), her mother is kicked out of her home by her grandfather after he discovers that Hwei-Lan is pregnant out of wedlock. Streaming on . A gay hustler impulsively holds his family hostage on Thanksgiving. This gay and Asian American cult classic will be released ... - YouTube Quentin Lee's 2004 drama stars Jun Hee Lee as Ethan Mao, a closeted teen who is kicked out of his house and becomes a hustler. He teams up with another teen hustler, Remigio (Jerry Hernandez), and the two end up holding Ethan's family hostage on Thanksgiving. Streaming on . The atmospheric SPA NIGHT is a portrait of forbidden sexual awakening set in the nocturnal world of spas and karaoke bars in ... - YouTube Andrew Ahn's debut film, released in 2016, is this coming-of-age drama about David (Joe Seo), an 18-year-old from Koreatown in Los Angeles, who gets a job at a spa to help his parents. While there, he finds out that the spa is a secret gay cruising spot, and explores his sexuality. (Read our review!) Streaming on . Shy, straight-A student Ellie is hired by sweet but inarticulate jock Paul, who needs help winning over a popular girl. But their new ... - YouTube Alice Wu's second film is this coming-of-age drama, loosely based on Cyrano de Bergerac, about a teen named Ellie Chu (Leah Lewis) who lives in a small town with her father and helps a jock at her school woo a fellow student, Aster (Alexxis Lemire), whom Ellie also secretly has feelings for. Streaming on . Now Streaming on Hulu Set in the iconic Pines, Andrew Ahn's FIRE ISLAND is an unapologetic, modern day rom-com ... - YouTube Ahn's queer retelling of Pride and Prejudice at the gay mecca of Fire Island was written by Joel Kim Booster, who stars alongside Bowen Yang, Matt Rogers, Tomás Matos, and Torian Miller as a group of friends looking for fun, sex, and possibly love. It also stars Conrad Ricamora, James Scully, and Margaret Cho. Streaming on . SUBSCRIBE: A film from Daniels and starring Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Stephanie Hsu, Jenny Slate, ... - YouTube This trippy comedy-drama from the Daniels won seven Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Actress (Michelle Yeoh), Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor and Actress (Ke Huy Quan and Jamie Lee Curtis). It stars Yeoh as Evelyn Quan Wang, a Chinese-immigrant who runs a laundromat with her husband and is trying to connect with her queer daughter (Stephanie Hsu). Evelyn then must travel through the multiverse to stop the sinister Jobu Tupaki from destroying everything. Streaming on . Watch the Official Trailer for The Wedding Banquet Only in Theaters April 18 -- From Director Andrew Ahn comes a joyful comedy ... - YouTube Andrew Ahn's new version of The Wedding Banquet adds a lesbian couple (played by Kelly Marie Tran and Lily Gladstone) and changes up the dynamics from Ang Lee's original. In this new version, Min (Han Gi-chan) is a Korean immigrant whose grandparents want him to move back to Korea unless he can obtain a green card. After his boyfriend Chris (Bowen Yang) turns down his proposal, he turns to his lesbian friend Angela (Tran) and offers her money to help her partner, Lee (Gladstone), pay for IVF treatment if she marries him. Things get complicated when Min's grandmother comes into town and wants to throw a traditional Korean wedding for the couple. (Read our five-star review!) In theaters April 17.
