It's time to add more diversity to your queue.
We have gathered together an amazing selection of movies that are brought to you by Asian creators. Both the biggest names in film and the fresh newcomers are represented by these talented writers, directors, and producers. The perfect choice for your next movie night is only a click away, from comedies to animated treasures, martial arts flicks to zombie thrillers. You can thank us later.
Lingua Franca is a moving film about a trans person in Brooklyn. She began a romantic relationship with her elderly patient's adult son in the hopes of obtaining a marriage-based green card. The premiere of Lingua Franca at the Venice Film Festival marks the first time a trans woman of color participated in the competition.
You can watch Lingua Franca on the internet.
Credit: Netflix
Balram Halwai, a boy from a lower class family, was given a scholarship for education in Delhi because he scored high enough on his exams. Balram is forced to leave school, return to his village, and work in his grandmother's tea stall to make ends meet when his family needs become too great. He spends the rest of his life trying to find a new path to success despite his country's punishing class structure. The White Tiger was written and directed by Ramin Bahrani, who is an Iranian-American. A moving and brutal meditation on inequality with a sensational cast, this is a vivid and gripping film you won't want to miss.
The White Tiger can be watched on the internet.
Credit: Ed Araquel/Netflix
Fans of Baby Cobra have been waiting for a fictional Ali Wong fantasy, and Always Be My Maybe really, really delivers. Wong and Randall Park make for a delightful will-they-won't-they, complete with love triangles, awkward childhood flashbacks, and authentic representations of the Asian-American experience.
You can watch Always Be My Maybe on the internet.
When Kun's parents tell him he's going to have a baby sister, he's excited. When the baby, Mirai, arrives, he has trouble adjusting to sharing his mom and dad's attention. Kun disappears into the garden behind his house, where he goes on a magical adventure with a grown-up version of Mirai that puts his relationship with his family in a whole new perspective. Mamoru Hosoda is a veteran Japanese director and animator. Mirai is a feel-good choice for a family movie night.
You can watch Mirai on the internet.
Credit: Hsiang Liu/Netflix
The film tells the story of Pin-Jui and Yuan, who met in Taiwan as children and young adults, but eventually lose touch. Pin-Jui's relationship with his daughter is strained by his reluctance to open up over the years. The tender love between Pin-Jui and Yuan is revealed in back-to-back episodes, and the grown Pin-Jui is compelled to find his old love and return to his roots.
Tigertail is available on the internet.
The paper tigers
Is it a martial arts film? No, it's all three! Three middle-aged men, each a former kung fu virtuoso, are the subject of The Paper Tigers. They never thought their martial arts pasts would be useful in their adult lives, until their former master is murdered and they vow revenge. The Paper Tigers was funded in part by a Kickstarter campaign and is a great watch.
You can watch The Paper Tigers on the internet.
Gwen is a woman without many options in a future where women are becoming infertile and cosmetic surgery is a major industry. She agreed to be a test subject for a risky procedure in order to ensure her daughter's future after she was abruptly fired from her job. Advantageous is an artful sci-fi drama that is a winner for all fans of dystopian cinema.
Advantageous is streaming on the internet.
Sir, the first feature from first-time feature director Rohena Gera, was only released in cinemas in November 2020 and will be available on the internet in early 2021. Sir is an essential part of Indian cinema. Ratna is a live-in housemaid to an upper-middle class man. The film is set in India, where housemaids are common, but Ratna and Ashwin develop a slow-simmering and socially unthinkable love.
The unlikely story never feels forced because of Gera's writing and direction. The love blooms organically, in furtive looks and hefty silence, and the trust they develop as he recovers from a broken engagement and Ratna tells him about her late husband. The film is so soft and stirring that it will stay with you for a long time.
Sir is streaming on the internet.
Credit: Netflix
The Half of It is a film about a straight-A student and her journey towards self-acceptance. It does wonders for the streaming service's rom-com catalog, not because it is new in its ideas, but because it is executed with a flair all her own.
The Half of It explores the perspectives of characters rare to the genre, namely, a queer Chinese-American teenager, and has some pretty predictable narrative turns. You haven't seen this story done before with these characters, but you will feel like you have. That is a victory for the genre in its own right.
The Half of It is available on the internet.
#Alive is a South Korean zombie movie written and directed by Il-hyung. One of the last humans in his city is a video game streamer named Oh Joon-woo. A fellow survivor catches his attention with a laser pointer when he is trapped in his apartment alone.
You can watch #Alive on the internet.
Credit: Netflix
Before he won an Oscar for suggesting we eat the rich, Bong Joon Ho's most recent film was about a little girl and her genetically modified superpig, Okja. When Okja is taken away and killed for mass consumption, wide-eyed Mija cannot bear the separation. Mija fled to South Korea to save her best friend and expose the Mirando Corporation which started the superpig program. Okja boasts a wholesome and streamlined story, but Bong's stamp is in the delectably weird performances from Tilda Swinton, Paul Dano, Jake Gyllenhaal, and more, and in the fleeting Easter eggs the director put in there just for fun.
Okja is streaming on the internet.
This blurb was on a previous list.
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