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Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart
U.S., 1985
Mrs. Tam (Kim Chew) doesn’t have much to celebrate on New Year’s Day—a fortune teller had told her this would be the year she died. Whether or not the prophecy is true, the widow resolves to tie up loose ends and cross some items off her bucket list—first and foremost seeing daughter Geraldine (Laureen Chew) finally get married. Director Wayne Wang discovered this real-life mother-daughter duo while making Chan is Missing, and the affection they share anchors this warm and wise comedy.
DCP, color, 88 min. Director: Wayne Wang. Screenwriter: Terrel Seltzer. Cinematographer: Michael Chin. Editor: Ralph Wikke. With: Laureen Chew, Kim Chew, Victor Wong, Ida F.O. Chung, Cora Miao.
The Joy Luck Club
China/U.S., 1993
Adapted from the popular novel by author Amy Tan, Wayne Wang’s The Joy Luck Club weaves a rich tapestry of family ties across generations as four women meet regularly in San Francisco to share stories and play mahjong. Having emigrated from China to make new lives in America, these four women (Tsai Chin, France Nuyen, Lisa Lu, and Kieu Chinh) each now have daughters (Rosalind Chao, Tamilyn Tomita, Lauren Tom, and Ming-na Wen)—who are by turns burdened by their mother’s expectations and guided by their advice. Telling the story primarily through a series of flashbacks, Wayne assembles emotional portraits of each family history, and explores the many layers of the Chinese American experience.
DCP, color, in English, Mandarin and Cantonese with English subtitles, 139 min. Director: Wayne Wang. Screenwriters: Amy Tan, Ronald Bass. With: Kiey Chinh, Tsai Chin, France Nuyen, Lisa Lu, Ming-Na Wen.
