When Chang writes that the film is so eager to bare its soul, I agree. In fact, it’s part of the appeal. It’s the same kind of appeal that drew me to emo music: a desire to state, simply and bluntly, how bad it feels without the self-conscious desire to dress it up as something poetic and literary. Sometimes a singer yelling “I’m not okay” to loud power chords is the most thrilling musical moment of a generation.
Read MoreWhat Are Asian American Politics?
The average joe on the street can’t name issues that are important to the Asian American community, and it might be because we haven’t the consensus to center around much. It’s not that the community doesn’t protest or doesn’t care — it’s just been unable to coalesce around much, and so the people drift where they may.
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