frankhowley:

Seeking Asian Female (2012)

Steven is a white man with a dream. Now in his 60s, he scours numerous catalogs and websites in search of a young Chinese wife. After fruitlessly corresponding with numerous women online, and even making some in-person visits, he finally convinces Sandy, a young woman from Anhui, to become his bride. However, when Sandy finally arrives in San Francisco, Steven gets much more than he bargained for. (x)

I was attracted to this film because I deeply relate to its subject matter. As an obsessive Asian cinephile and self-proclaimed anime geek, I have my own experience with perpetuating the yellow fever phenomenon. I’m aware of its stigma and I openly carry a sense of self-deprecating humor about it. Last year I made a short film that touched on the same theme, a mockumentary titled The Otaku, that follows a white anime nerd who tries to interact with Asian-Americans. I wrote and starred in it myself, taking inspiration from real-life events.

Seeking Asian Female isn’t fictional however. Similar in tone to American Movie, it’s a fantastic documentary that’s equally funny, sad, beautiful, and strikingly relevant. Even beyond my own Asian obsessions, the film struck me on another level. The film is very funny throughout, but there are definite struggles that spring up due to Steven and Sandy’s communication and cultural barrier. My father, an Irish-American, met my mother while vacationing in Russia. He brought her back to America with him and they quickly got married despite the language barrier. I was born soon after, but they later divorced when I was just two-years old.

Watching the film reminded me of my parent’s difficulties and I found it to really profound. Another brilliant part of the film is how Debbie Lum, the filmmaker herself, gets thrown into the story by serving as their translator. Debbie is the only immediate friend that Sandy has, and through Chinese, they speak together and it offers plenty of insight to the immigration experience.

I loved Seeking Asian Female and I hope it has continued success on the festival circuit and finds distribution. It’ll be screened next year on PBS, so follow its website for more information. It already won Best Documentary at the San Diego Asian Film Festival and it’s a lock for my favorite documentary of the year. I only hope that more people will see it because it offers fascinating discourse on stereotypes and the limits of love. Funny and touching, it’s a great documentary.

Trailer

Official Site