I WATCHED Crazy Rich Asians, escaping to a two-hour rom-com spectacle of beaches, parties, wedding banquets, fashion, food and night scenes. I then come out of the movie house and go back to the humdrum and rush of traffic, long jeepney rides, a queue of students and workers in eateries.
This is the Asia that is not included in the movie, or the book for that matter. So when some scribes praise Crazy Rich Asians as a representation of Asians in cinema, I beg to disagree.
Asian is big as in four billion people and the ethnicity is diverse, counting Chinese, Japanese, Indians, Indonesian, Middle East, Filipinos and more. The movie's setting in rich Singapore does not represent majority of the 48 Asian countries that are middle or poor economies or neocolonies.
Not every Asian immigrant in the Chinese diaspora is like the character Rachel Chu – driven, well-educated and smarts. Not every Asian man too is like Nick with 3 B's: born to royalty, blessed with good looks and a British accent.
As a Filipino-Chinese, we have our own quirks. We look Chinese, but our work and lives are more involved with the Filipino community. Everyone thinks all Fil-Chinese are rich, but there are only two Chinese families who own supermalls - Sy and Gokongwei. One family owns Jollibee, three or four others own banks.
But for the rest of us, we just mind our little shop or store. A few days ago, a tricycle driver angrily said we Chinese only impregnate Pinays and not marry them. His statement made me shake my head and toss my head in laughter. We can never seem to fit what is Chinese.
That question of what makes us Chinese somehow resonates in the movie. Like the question of a rich family approving of their son's girlfriend. It is a universal theme for all Chinese in the diaspora, about choosing a wife or a husband that will bring more fortune to the family. You are married not just to the person, but to the clan as well. But such struggle is wrapped in a rich-country set up. It even has western mindset about west liberalism versus oriental traditions.
The movie is more of a romantic comedy where such issues are skimmed over. I imagined if you replaced the whole cast with Filipinos you still have a hit. I mean, we have seen this kind of rich-boy loves poor girl and love wins formula like the John Lloyd-Sarah G flicks.
The things that made the film connect to me are the mahjong scene which families and friends gather, and the classical music which I would hear my old folks play. It evokes good memories.
I would say Crazy Rich Asians is an enjoyable film. But if you want Asia representation, there are movies that represent the Asian spirit from Kurosawa to Zhang Yimou to Majidi or to our own Brocka and Bernal.
Or you can watch the real Crazy Rich Asians in our politicians. Tragicomedy. (tyvelez@gmail.com)