An Analysis of Identity-Related Affect Expression in Chinese-American Movies

This paper aims to examine the hybridity and fluidity of the “Chinese American” identity, as well as the emotions associated with it, by analyzing works by Chinese American filmmakers across various generations in a diachronic manner. The Chinese American identity is highly complex and multifaceted. In the past, the limited number of Chinese American films allowed this identity to function as a cinematic commonality. However, with the recent emergence of a broader array of films, it is no longer possible to classify such works under a single category. This study thus deconstructs the “Chinese American” category to uncover generational commonalities and distinctions. The selected films for this study are The Joy Luck Club (1993), The Farewell (2019), and Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022). While mother-daughter conflicts and return narratives serve as shared motifs across the three films, the causes of these conflicts, as well as the modes and destinations of return, differ in each. The first-generation filmmakers emphasize roots, identifying their sense of self with the maternal figures in their films. They depict the fears that arise from living in an unfamiliar land and the worry or frustration that emerges when second-generation immigrant daughters do not follow their preferred paths. The 1.5-generation filmmakers, however, identify more closely with the daughters in their narratives, expressing doubts about the parental generation and the melancholy they experience while living in America. The second-generation filmmakers articulate the feelings of anxiety and unease experienced by younger generations in everyday life, contrasting with the more focused anxieties of the immigrant generation. Although tension, dissatisfaction, frustration, doubt, and anxiety are emotions anyone may feel, these films present them within the unique context of relationships between Chinese mothers and their American daughters. These emotions, often referred to as “minority emotions”, emerge when fixed identities clash with fluid ones. As identity and its associated emotions differ across generations, the evolving dynamics of relationships and affect warrant further exploration in future studies.