EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE WIN HIGHLIGHTS THE HUNGER FOR MORE AUTHENTIC ASIAN STORIES AND ARTS

Credit: Todd Heisler/The New York Times

Last month at the 95th Academy Awards, Michelle Yeoh, the 60-year-old Malaysian actress of Chinese heritage, became the first Asian to win an Oscar for best actress for her role in Everything, Everywhere All At Once. The film is wacky and fantastical, but it draws on elements of the Chinese culture and diaspora that are real, gritty, and frankly have not been portrayed as often as it should be. 

In the film, Evelyn Wang and her family operate a dingy, unassuming laundromat in San Francisco. While this may seem like a stereotype, it actually represents generational trauma of East Asian people particularly in the US. In the 19th century, a large population of Chinese immigrants crossed the Pacific Ocean to find work in the “Gold Mountain”. The first racially discriminatory immigration law was put in place in 1882 to deny citizenship to Chinese people. As “second class citizens”, Chinese people were only allowed to engage in three types of trade perceived as unthreatening to White men - cooks, barbers, and laundromats.

This is also one of the few mainstream films that portrays Chinese people and our families as complex, fully formed human beings with agencies. In Western cinemas, East Asian actors are typecasted into one dimensional roles, most commonly Kung Fu master (Bruce Lee and Jet Li), silly caricatures (Mr Chow in The Hangover), and oversexualised femme fatale (Maggie Q and Michelle Yeoh herself).

This kind of simplistic portrayal was the only exposure people in the English speaking world have of Asian people for the longest time. It perpetuates harmful stereotypes, dehumanise people, and even shakes our self perception as Asian people. Arts and culture infiltrate every part of our lives, they shape our views of the world. They are the lens through which we experience real life events, they are a vessel for a community’s collective, cultural identity.

From film Everything Everywhere All At Once

Against the backdrop of the great power competition between China and the West, such an identity that is rooted in lived experience and detached from political affiliation has significant implications. 

The Chinese diaspora around the globe numbered about 60 million people, many of whom live in English-speaking countries, and many have been for decades if not centuries. The geopolitical tension of late, such as AUKUS’s stance, could possibly overflow into the community, creating a fertile ground for race-based discrimination.

In my view, arts and culture play an important role against racism and to strengthen our cultural identity. Good arts, be it cinema, music, written words or other forms, that are authentic can rehumanise its subjects, create familiarity and relay knowledge.

This film, Everything Everywhere All At Once, leaves a significant cultural footprint partly due to its radical authenticity. It comes through in the details, from the name “Waymond” (there is no “r” sound in Cantonese), to the hoarding of stuff in their house (many families have an entrenched fear passed down for generations of losing our property to the Governments), to the complex mother-daughter relationship in a first generation immigrant family. They were able to achieve this because it was a story told by Chinese people themselves - from the directors, to the cast, to the people working on the set and behind the scenes. 

While the film’s success is a big moment that deserves a moment of celebration, sustained change is only possible if more authentic, diverse stories are being told on the world stage. While I wait for the next big Asian film to come out from Hollywood, I will be seeking out local Australian Asian writers, comedians, filmmakers and artists because their work matters to all of us.