Asian American / Asian Research Institute
The City University of New York
Iikiru (Japan, 1952) Running Time: 143 Minutes When a stoic government official (Takashi Shimura, with a BAFTA nomination for Best Foreign Actor) in post-war Japan learns he has terminal cancer, he realizes he has squandered his life on meaningless red tape and has no close family or friendships to lean on. He resolves to use … Read more
Better Luck Tomorrow (USA, 2003) Running Time: 99 Minutes Ah, the pressures of being young, rich and brilliant. Discontent with his current lifestyle of straight A’s and upper-middle-class monotony, overachieving high school student Ben Manibag (Parry Shen) seeks a lifestyle of excitement and danger. He finds it with help from a suburban gang of other … Read more
This eight session workshop will guide viewers on a retrospective study through some of Asian American / Asian cinema’s most beloved and highly acclaimed films from the past decade.
My Blueberry Nights (Hong Kong/China/France, 2007) Running Time: 90 Minutes Elizabeth (Norah Jones), a restless young woman, travels cross-country working a variety of waitressing jobs and connecting with an odd assortment of characters along the way, including policeman Arnie (David Strathairn), his unfaithful wife, Sue Lynne (Rachel Weisz), and a flighty young gambler (Natalie Portman). … Read more
The Postmodern Life of My Aunt (Hong Kong, 2006) Running Time: 110 Minutes A twelve-year-old boy Kuankuan visits his aunt (Sequin Gowa) who is living alone after her retirement in Shanghai. Through his eyes his aunt appears stingy, out-of-date, loud, and ridiculous. Her neighbor (Lu Yan) also appears bizarre. But after a series of adventures … Read more
My Sassy Girl (South Korea, 2001) Running Time: 123 Minutes One night, Kyun-woo meets a terribly drunken girl. He is ashamed to help her, but once he does, a deep sense of responsibility has been developed within him; he decides to heal her pain. Even though she slaps him, pushes him into the pool, forces … Read more