Enjoy it

I enjoy “Harriet” a lot and shed a lot of tears, but at the same time I’m disappointed with the movie which didn’t stick with Harriet’s real stories. Her carrying of a live chicken is not depicted–there’s no mention of the time when she was stopped by patrol but saved herself pretending to chase her chicken; her husband refused to go with her from the very beginning–the movie complete changed the story. There’s nothing wrong with her husband’s decision and I don’t understand why the movie has to cover it up as if it is something that shouldn’t be mentioned.

Somehow I feel the movie falls into the category of well formulated stories. Harriet would have been too much a warrior and have too much inspiration for an unambitious theme like this. Or probably it’s just me. I admire her too much to wish her to fall into this stereotyped dogmatic social pattern.

After reading books on Asian that are not Asian at all, watching movies about Asian people who look Asian but don’t behave like Asian, I have doubts… Well, doubts.

The movie “Crazy Rich Asian” is an example, the mahjong scene in particular. I’ve never seen a mahjong game being played that way and can’t imagine it played in that way. Well, mahjong is a protracted long game. Slings and arrows between the players are engaged in a smiling polite way, not in a conspicuously fierce mood, which is so obvious in the movie. I can’t help thinking that it’s probably a product made by people who want to portray Asian for a non-Asian market. “Fresh Off The Boat” is even more non-Asian that I’ve never known any Asian immigrant who watches it. From the little bit I watched, I feel that it’s a show very negative on Asians–they are cheap; they don’t use dish washer; they get into fight to pay in restaurants; they speak impolitely in inappropriate situations. It’s a show full of negative caricatures and stereotypes.

On the other hand, I’m probably too biased to give a balanced view whenever the topic is related with Asian. I was a big fan of Japanese and Korean and Hong Kong movies and soap operas. Anything that’s different from my accustomed style will be considered non-Asian by me.