Earlier today I caught a screening of “All About Dad” at the San Diego Asian American Film Festival. The movie centers around a Bay Area-based Vietnamese family, and in particular, Ty, a biology major who aspires to be a filmmaker despite the staunch disapproval of his very traditional father. The plot is funny, its characters are authentic, and the story perfectly conveys the deep-rooted love of Asian parents that hidden behind their stoic expressions. Though the ending was a little too Christmas present perfect, the last couple scenes definitely got my mascara running.
One of the reasons I love Asian American films is that they so often tell stories that only our generation — the mymomisafob generation, if you will — truly understands. And in world of AA media, we aren’t all kung fu fighters or masseuses in qipaos. We aren’t always violin-toting math nerds, either, and even when we are, sometimes we are violin-toting math nerds with talents for comedy or design. The Asian guy gets to kiss the girl in the end. The characters are multidimensional. We are people with ambitions and lives and families — something that mainstream media so often forgets. Films like “All About Dad” capture that cross-cultural family dynamic that’s completely unique to us — something that I sometimes worry will be lost with time.
If you’re in the San Diego area, definitely stop by for a movie or two. I’m also hoping to catch showings of White on Rice, The People I’ve Slept With, and The Things We Carry as the festival wraps up this week.
Source: teresawu
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kritters reblogged this from teresawu and added:
Definitely watching these whenever they’re available!
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