The selection has a little bit of everything. Comedy, action, drama, complex relationships and cultural issues are fleshed out in individual and collective harmony. International flavor is given a sampling with one of Hong Kong's best: "Infernal Affairs" (2000), released on limited screens in America last year, is perhaps the most intimate commentary on triad life in the former territory, bar none.
In a genre that largely glorifies either undercover police moles in the triads or the honor among thieves, "Infernal Affairs" breaks a staid mold with intriguing premise and arresting narrative. Everyday life in Hong Kong is rarely punctuated with gang conflict. Bitter struggles between the law and those in the wrong place at the wrong time is a reality always played out in unseen alleyways with no heroes and no villains, merely tragedy. A broader theme of the tangled web of deception we weave is crucial also to the development of an Asian perspective on acceptance. Tony Leung, Best Actor at Cannes for "In The Mood For Love," co-stars with Andy Lau.
For a glimpse, too, of post-"Glory" Denzel Washington, "Mississippi Masala" (1992) features him in a refreshing role as Demetrius, an African-American man involved in a clandestine romance with an Indian-American woman named Mina (Sarita Choudhury). In the Deep South, culture clash assumes significance of almost unreasonable proportions. The story of Demetrius and Mina generates ample space to lay out the tensions, societal pressures and trivial difficulties in interracial relationships. We observe pieces of the American Dream, hopeful sparks of multiculturalism and the pettiness that engulfs normally rational men and women. "Mississippi Masala" discriminates in its honest projection of what is often a façade of tolerance. Few plot devices of thematic convenience interfere with the difficult meaning of this film for both Asian Americans and African Americans. Washington and Choudhury deliver understated, perfectly weighted performances that underscore how individuals are frequently lost in the maelstrom of larger influences.
Ang Lee became a household name by returning to his Chinese roots in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" (2000). But less in-your-face and far more insightful was his 1993 effort, "The Wedding Banquet," an Asian-American "The Birdcage" (1996) of sorts. Wai-Tung Gao (Winston Chao), a Taiwanese, naturalized American citizen, tackles his parents' traditional aversion to homosexuality at a light-hearted canter. He tiptoes his way through a minefield of obstacles to happiness as he marries a Chinese immigrant girl, Wei-wei (May Chin), to throw his parents off the scent. There are lessons for everyone: in reconciliation of heritage and modernity for the protagonist, in thoughtfulness for his pseudo-wife and in acceptance for his parents. Shot with a miniscule budget and featuring a cast of largely unknowns, "The Wedding Banquet" is a film of comedic and custom-challenging virtue.
Joint organizer of the film series Janicelynn Asamoto '06 emphasized the significance of the mini-festival. "[The last two films], especially, deal with Asian-American issues that aren't always put into the spotlight, but nevertheless ones that affect Asians as an ethnic group as well," she said. "We really hope students can derive some understanding of them through the event." These are, I think, not only an eclectic variety of Asian-American and Asian cinema, but equally meritorious as works on their own.
"Infernal Affairs," Fri., Apr. 8 at 6 p.m.
"Mississippi Masala," Fri., Apr. 15 at 6 p.m.
"The Wedding Banquet," Fri., Apr. 22 at 6 p.m.
All films screened in Merrill 4.