[The Pool] Crazy Rich Asians - A Triumph for Representation

Sat in a nationwide cinema with an audience from all walks of life, I heard a line of Cantonese in Crazy Rich Asians and I could’ve cried as my heart filled with feelings of home and familiarity. The film about a Rachel Chu, played by Constance Wu as she goes to visits her boyfriend Nick Young’s family - portrayed by Henry Golding - in Singapore, and finding out they’re part of the country’s very rich elite, the Hiltons of Asia if you will. It’s a romcom brought forward to the Instagram-ing, meme-quoting age of 2018, but it’s so much more than that. Yes, it’ll make you laugh, cry and feel all warm and fuzzy inside, and not just because of the romance and comedy.

This is the first time in 25 years that an all-Asian cast has been on screen in a Hollywood in 25 years, since The Joy Luck Club in 1993. And pretty much the first time ever I’ve ever seen this in my lifetime (Hi I’m 26). Growing up, when people asked were asked who their favourite celebrity was, or who was their role model, I used to say it was Lucy Liu. An actress who’s won numerous awards, a loving mother, and one third of Charlie’s Angels lest we forget, and so is an incredible role model to have. But that wasn’t why I chose her. She was always my answer because I didn’t know anyone else in films who looked like I did. The baton later was passed onto Mutya from Sugababes and most recently Gemma Chan from hit Channel 4 drama Humans, who is now in Hollywood films including Crazy Rich Asians, and turned into my of my ultimate girl crushes and inspirations. 

Sure, Crazy Rich Asians represents a whole ethnic group that hasn’t been in so long, much like the success of Black Panther last year. But in this film, it’s a whole other slice of people from that ethnic group that has been under-represented in media. Asian cinema is huge, and western society even takes inspiration from it. 2008 crime drama The Departed featuring Matt Damon was a remake of Hong Kong’s Infernal Affairs, yet, which one is better known? But when I used to see the films or dramas that my mum had on the television, their culture, upbringing, humour and way of life wasn’t one that I related to. Crazy Rich Asians taps into what it’s like to have lived a life as an Asian with western roots. Someone whose family immigrated out of Asia. Someone who’s grown up and thrives in a western environment. Someone who’s bilingual with Chinese. Someone who’s got a sometimes-difficult relationship with their heritage. These were things I hadn’t seen in mainstream media before. Even the little quirks of slang in the way we talk and text that I know from my cousins were now being shown on the big screen. I never knew how I missed out on being represented, until I was. 

And I’m definitely not the only way to feel like this, with the film topped the box office in America in it’s opening week, and continued to for weeks after. Seeing my (non-Asian) boyfriend and an diverse crowd laugh, clap, cheer and feel for the characters in the film, I was so proud and happy to be Chinese in a way that nothing in entertainment has made me before. And that’s coming from a girl who used to hide her Chinese name on the register in school because she was embarrassed that it was different to Katie Smith sat next to me.

We weren’t the funny sidekick, the stereotypical brainy geek or the just token Asian. We were finally being represented with developed multi-dimensional characters that went through happiness, hardship, drama and everything else in between. Yes, we are stylish, strong, sassy, funny, and – dare I say -sexy. There are the cliched shots of Henry Goulding’s six-pack as he takes of his shirt in slow-motion, and why shouldn’t there be. Here is a handsome guy who instead of being cast as a martial arts master as usually is the case, he’s the suave leading man in a romcom. And the starring role of Rachel wasn’t your typical girl who needed saving in a romcom. Instead of serving up cupcakes, she was serving you lessons as an economics professor. Bye bye cutesy trophy wife, hello strong independent woman. 

But at the base of it, Crazy Rich Asians is a triumph return for the romantic comedy. While serious thrillers and dramas of the likes of BBC’s Bodyguard have dominated out TVs, with the unsettled and messy way the world is, a light-hearted reminder of love and laughter seems to be the tonic we all need. This film is a big deal of course (even though it’s maddening to think it should be in 2018). But while we’re letting you know we’re here, we’re letting our stories – and this film – speak for itself.