Tag: critics

DISCLAIMER: THERE ARE SPOILERS. DO NOT READ IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO KNOW THE STORYLINE.

Yesterday, the move ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ released in the UK, about 20 years after all the other countries but finally, it came. Of course, my mum and I went to watch it.

For me, it was so empowering.

The affluence was just for entertainment, the messages conveyed were in fact more relatable than I had anticipated. Indeed, Kwan very much focussed on rich families and their way of life, but he also emphasised the issue of natives not accepting someone because they were raised differently. Rachel Chu was Chinese-born, but she was raised in America and it is for that reason Eleanor Sung-Young did not accept Rachel as her son’s girlfriend. It was brought to my attention that the notion of having “pure blood” seems to be very significant in Asian families. However, Rachel’s courageousness in standing up to Eleanor was extremely empowering for me as a British-raised Chinese.

“If Nick chose me, he would lose his family. And if he chose his family, he might spend the rest of his life resenting you.”

The game of Mahjong was used as a metaphor where Rachel gave Eleanor the piece in which she could have won but instead, Eleanor won with that same piece. This piece represented Nick. Eleanor won the game but Rachel revealed that she had a much stronger set, had she won. Because in giving up Nick for the sake of not losing his family, she holds the most integrity, the most dignity and the most respect.

Additionally, Kwan included some great feminist moments through Astrid’s story. Astrid was a kind and compassionate mother who married a “commoner”. Michael hated her affluence and felt insignificant in her presence because he wasn’t the breadwinner. Even when they discussed his affair with another woman on the way to the wedding, he shamed Astrid for sensibly not wanting to make a scene. He said that nothing he does is significant even when he has an affair. That is so ridiculously self-centred. The fact that Astrid was the only initially accepting ‘crazy rich asian’ and was the only one who actually made “commoners” feel valued made me sympathise her a lot when she was maltreated by her husband. Of course, Astrid left Michael, and the scene of her walking out the apartment like it was a catwalk was exceedingly empowering for me as a woman.

Therefore, for the majority of us who aren’t crazy rich, you’d think you would just wistfully sit through this movie when you didn’t buy popcorn because it was too expensive but Astrid just bought a pair of earrings for $1.5million. But it is actually such a relatable and empowering story for the immigrants and the feminists.