AAPI Month Movie & Television Picks

If you are not aware, May is Asian American Pacific Islander month, and what better way to celebrate than to engage in Asian stories through movies and television. Sorry Karate fans, I’m omitting these types of stories as they are a bit stereotypical, and there are so many rich, Asian/Asian-American stories to explore. Here are some of my favs and where you can find them.

Movies

1. Searching (2018) - Directed by Aneesh Chaganty. Starring John Cho, Debra Messing, Joseph Lee
Searching is a unique experience where the plot unfolds entirely through the use of computers, phones, and social media. The story is about a widowed father whose daughter goes missing and his search to find her. Watch on FXnow or Rent/Buy on Prime Video.

2. Parasite (2019) - Directed by Bong Joon Ho. Starring Kang-ho Song, Sun-kyun Lee, Yeo-jeong Cho
Making history as the first foreign language film to win an Oscar for best picture, Parasite explores the relationship between the wealthy Park family and the destitute Kim family. Though it’s not Asian-American per say, it’s still a great story of the haves and the have-nots with a crazy plot twist and ending. Watch on Hulu.

3. The Joy Luck Club (1993) - Directed by Wayne Wang. Starring Kieu Chinh, Tsai Chin, France Nuyen, Lisa Lu, Ming-Na Wen, Tamlyn Tomita, Lauren Tom, Rosalind Chao
Based on the Amy Tan book of the same name, the past and present meet as mother and daughter relationships are explored in this film. Rent/Buy on Prime Video

4. The Farewell (2019) - Directed by Lulu Wang. Starring Awkwafina, Shuzhen Zhao
After learning that their grandmother does not have long to live, a Chinese family stages a wedding, so that they can gather to meet with her one last time without letting her know how ill she is. Based on a true story. Watch with Prime Video.

Television

1. The Mindy Project (2012-2017) - Created and starring Mindy Kaling as Dr. Mindy Lahiri, this comedy series explores the ups and downs of an OB/GYN office complete with cast of quirky characters. Watch the full series on Hulu.

2. Never Have I Ever (2020) - Created by Mindy Kaling and starring Maitreyi Ramakrishnan as Davi Vishwakumar, this comedy follows an Indian high school student on her quest to elevate her geeky friend group to popular status with a plan to get boyfriends. The second season of this series will premiere later on this year, but the first season is easily one of my favorite shows. Available on Netflix

3. Hasan Minhaj: Homecoming King (2017) - This comedy special by Hasan Minhaj is fantastic. He is a master storyteller, and the elements of this TV special come together nicely. He touches on serious topics like racism and discrimination with thoughtful and humorous stories from his life. Do yourself a favor and watch this special immediately. Available on Netflix

Representation is important, and it wasn’t until I was much older that I realized how few movies and television shows featured Asian actors or told stories that I could relate to my cultural background. Now, that I’m older, I make a point of going to the theatre to watch Asian-led films as much as possible because money talks, and I hope to see more diverse story-telling in the future. Feel free to comment with other TV and movies that feature AAPI stories. Happy AAPI Month!