May is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage month here in the United States, and in honor of the history and rich culture that surrounds the encompassing heritages, here is a list of six true-to-life movies to watch in celebration of AAPI Heritage Month.
The Namesake (2007) — Spanning over the course of about 25 years, The Namesake follows the lives of an Indian-American family, the Ganguli’s, their journey of preserving their Indian roots while trying to blend into life in the United States and the generational gap that forms between the parents and their son, Gogol, as he tries to find his own unique place and personality in the world while keeping true to his heritage.
Saving Face (2004) — Saving Face is a drama about a closeted gay Chinese-American surgeon named Wilhelmina (Wil), her trials in trying to accept her sexuality and finding her place in Chinese American culture while still being true herself.
Ocean Of Pearls (2008) — Moving from Toronto, Canada, Dr. Amrit Singh, a young Sikh surgeon, leaves his family and girlfriend to take a job at a transplant center in Detroit, Michigan. The film is autobiographical in nature, and paints a vivid picture of life as Sikh in Post-9/11 America. Throughout the film, Singh encounters the racism prevalent in post-9/11 culture, the pressures to assimilate into the US and the decisions to remove his turban and cut his hair in order to fit in.
Strawberry Fields (1997) — Strawberry Fields depicts a young, rebellious Japanese girl living her life in 1970s US amid anti-war protests, her parents divorce, who has a haunting encounter with a realization of the past of her parents and grandparents. Setting out on the road with her boyfriend and friends for an escape, Irene Kawai discovers an Japanese internment camp used in World-War II, her parents past there and her future.
Princess Kaiulani (2009) — Princess Kaiulani is a movie set in the latter part of the 19th century which tells the tail of crowned Hawaiian Princess Victoria Kawēkiu Kaʻiulani Lunalilo Kalaninuiahilapalapa Cleghorn and her attempts to protect Hawai’i from being annexed by the United States. Ka’iulani risks her safety against US militants, and foregoes the prospect of marrying the man she loves to dedicate her life to her kingdom.
The Joy Luck Club (1993) The Joy Luck Club is a film that follows four pairs of Chinese mothers and their American-raised Daughters in San Francisco and the turbulent relationships that exist between them. Based on the Best-Selling book of the same name, the film bounces between flashbacks and real-time moments to illustrate the generational divide the exists between them in their unique lives.
