Finishing the Game

In mid-November, I made the trek from Ottawa to check out the Toronto Reel Asian Film FestivalFinishing the Game, a mockumentary about finding a replacement for legendary kung-fu master, Bruce Lee, following his 1973 death during the production of The Game of Death.  The film, which has been a labour of love for director, Justin Lin, and the "FTG family", has been making waves ever since it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2007.

I bet you’re wondering why I would go all the way to Toronto just to watch a movie.  Well, it was a pretty funny movie.  I also saw it as a chance for me to get in touch with my inner Asian.  What does that mean?  Basically, I'm Asian on the outside but a little confused on the inside.  Supposedly my confusion is a perfect example of why film executives group Asians in the “Caucasian” category.  This seems to happen because Asians are believed to have the same film tastes as Caucasian consumers and are therefore not a separate demographic that needed special attention.

As an Asian-Canadian, I didn't really think about my “tastes” until I started following the FTG family and their quest to promote the film. I started to realize that I was exactly the type of Asian consumer that the movie executives were talking about: I shopped at all the stores that are typically associated with white people, I watched mostly mainstream movies and television and otherwise thought like a white person in an Asian person's body (as I have been informed by several close friends). Couple this with the fact that I only really embrace my "Asian-ness" when it comes to the food I like to eat and I started seeing that those movie execs may have had a point.

I also started paying attention to how Asian people were represented in the mainstream media. Until then, I never noticed so many familiar Asian actors portraying the stereotypical "hot Asian girl" or "Ninja henchman #4". On occasion I'd see "criminal mastermind", but it was always associated with some Asian organized crime ring. I had rarely ever seen Asians portrayed as "regular people", cast members who just happened to be Asian.  I was shocked. Did Asian-Canadians have the same consumption patterns as their Caucasian counterparts? Were those movie execs right?

It was then that I religiously began following the exploits of Lin and the FTG family as they went on a six-week tour of college campuses and theatres across the United States. Their effort to promote the film and quash the mentality that Asian people are essentially white people with different coloured hair and slightly different culinary interests was certainly admirable.

I finally got the opportunity to see the film when it made it to Toronto, the second of only two Canadian screenings that I knew of.  When I was in line to pick up my ticket, I couldn’t help but notice a huge crowd of Asian people – there were some non-Asians in the mix as well – who were insanely enthusiastic about seeing the film. In fact, all of these people were exactly the type of Asians that those movie execs believed would never be interested in a film like this, including me.

If I thought the crowd outside was crazy, the vibe inside the theatre was mind-blowing; it seemed like the entire 20-something Asian-Canadian community came out to support the film and it would not disappoint.  Although it had its weak points, Finishing the Game was funny and creative and definitely entertained its audience (I have to say, the “cuts” scene is hands down the funniest in the film – the criteria is priceless). It also managed to drive home the point that the guy who always played the "Ninja henchman" could actually do something other than physically kick some ass. In fact, it was quite refreshing to see that Asians actually have a sense of humour!

And I did manage to get in touch with my inner Asian. I still do all of the things that make me the poster-child for the movie exec mentality, but my new-found appreciation of my own "Asian-ness" has definitely changed how I see myself and relate to other Asian people. Don't get me wrong, seeing Finishing the Game was not an earth-shattering experience – the clouds didn't part, I didn't see God and I am certainly not suddenly some Asian crusader.

Instead, the change was much more subtle – I actually want to see more Asians on television and on the silver screen.  I’m more aware of how Asians are portrayed in the media.  I even started reading Angry Asian Man.  Hey, I’m starting small.

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

Write comment

Email Name		Title Comment smaller | bigger
		I have read and agree to the Terms of Usage. Write the displayed characters Add Comment