Transparency Item: The Perspectives section of the Graphic is comprised of articles based on opinion. This is the opinion and perspective of the writer.
New Asian representation in film is emerging, and A24 is leading the trend.
The first time I ever noticed the film company A24 was in March 2023, when its films swept the Academy Awards: “Everything Everywhere All At Once” received seven Oscars, and “The Whale” won another two.
A24 films received 53 nominations in less than ten years. The company distributed “Lady Bird,” “Moonlight” and co-produced “Euphoria.” The company has a reputation as a Hollywood tastemaker and is one of Time’s 100 Most Influential Companies.
A24 is a dream studio for indie movies. Celine Song, a Korean Canadian playwright and director, said that A24 allows first-time directors like her to “speak in their own voice,” according to Reuters.
Song said they have the opportunity to produce “auteur-focused” movies, meaning the filmmakers have distinct personal influence and editorial control over the movie, according to MasterClass.
The company distributed “The Farewell” to cinemas in 2019, another film that honors auteurship. “The Farewell” portrays a bittersweet Asian American family story.
To maintain authenticity, Director Lulu Wang refused to compromise on the cast’s ethnicity or primarily using Mandarin, according to IndieWire.
The second time I encountered A24 production was through “Beef,” an Emmy-nominated dark comedy by Korean director Lee Sung Jin, starring Steven Yuen and Ali Wong.
The pair of an Oscar-nominated Korean American actor and my favorite comedian grabbed my attention. But soon, as a Chinese audience member, I became more curious about the underlying themes in the Asian narratives.
The show proceeds with a cringey, unsettling sense of humor. It is intriguing yet troubling to watch the lives of a failing contractor and an unfulfilled entrepreneur intersect, intertwine and slide toward an irretrievable end.
It reminds me of the British dark humor in “Fleabag,” an example of cringe comedy. Cringe comedy is “about the painful laughs derived from the awkwardness of social interaction,” according to Time.
What drives me to continue watching “Beef” is that it triggers a deeper resonance of oppressed anxiety within the “model minority,” an aspect of everyday life often avoided in the previous narratives.
Before “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” Hollywood Asian representations were “Crazy Rich Asians” and “Shang-Chi.” These two are industry milestones but merely for racial visibility.
Both films center on the glorious perspectives of Asian identity but with a core of white storytelling.
The critiques of “Crazy Rich Asians” include promoting Asian representation by “literally swapping Asian faces onto white bodies” and labeling the “right” kind of Asians, according to the Atlantic. Furthermore, because the characters live up to the expectations of well-off Asians, the depiction doesn’t have a broad representation of average individuals.
“Shang-Chi,” on the other hand, is an expansively updated repackage of stereotypical “Orientalist fantasia,” according to the Washington Post.
“Shang-Chi” was the first Asian-lead Marvel movie with a huge group of Asian casts and a Japanese American director. However, the martial-arts-master superhero reinforces a long-existing stereotypical portrayal of Asians.
Moreover, the antagonist character in the Marvel comic derives from a fictional Chinese villain, Fu Manchu, who has a deeply racist implication.
Personally speaking, I hardly identified with those characters or narratives. I thought that discrepancy was due to language until I saw Asian American stories that I could easily resonate with.
“Everything” and “Beef” reveal the wounds in the Asian experience. “Everything” presents a pair of mother and daughter who live under their parents’ consistent denial. “Beef” portrays profound anxiety behind the all-out effort to save face in a meritocratic society.
A common theme in “Everything” and “Beef” is to live on the edge. It is a merciless exposure to a long-buried fear of losing control, which directs both the characters’ behaviors and the audience’s emotions.
Biao Xiang defines the phenomenon of “suspension” in the journal Pacific Affairs. The image of a hummingbird “frantically vibrating its wings, striving to sustain itself in the air” symbolizes the lifestyle of Chinese and migrants, according to Xiang.
That is to say, people conduct endless labor attempting to change the status quo but fail to engage with the present.
The state of suspension reflects on the two leading characters, Amy Lau and Danny Cho. They both work diligently for their family but live in constant self-depreciation.
Amy and Danny eagerly seek affirmation from their parents and social connections. The glorious surface covers pessimism and anxiety until it cracks.
“Beef” is also a story that originates from anger — it revolves around a road rage. Though the feelings independent of ethnicity, Asians carry the expectation of being moderate.
In addition to the Asian cultural norm of suppressing one’s emotions and avoiding conflict, it is rare to see shows and movies featuring Asians depicting dramatic collisions.
Compared to the uplifting stereotypical narratives, A24 establishes its own style of Asian representation that resonates with me immensely. The productions successfully handed the Asian stories to Asian creators instead of twisting them too much.
Film companies seem to be unwilling to compromise on casting because they want to maintain their attractiveness to white audiences. But, I see a reaction that contradicts the assumption.
I was the only Asian in the theatre when I watched “Everything,” yet people surrounding me sobbed along with the story. Vox praises “Beef” to be the best recent show on Netflix. With brilliant storytelling and performance, the series is about but also beyond Asian life. It is relatable for all.
And to achieve that, the simple trick is to create multifaceted characters rather than flat cultural symbols.
It is time for film companies to present the counter-mainstream narratives and celebrate the subtleness within each subgroup. In terms of shows and movies, excellent acting and nuanced stories resonate everywhere.
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Email Laury Li: yuting.li2@pepperdine.edu
