The actor and director praises the beautiful and tragic performances in ROUGE, shares her attraction to David Lynch’s mysterious atmospheres, and talks about the tactile pleasures of BODY HEAT.
Coming of age, Joan Chen was an actress whose face was very prominent and vital to us because of the particular projects she happened to star or be involved in. Sure there were the fun and sexual escapade films such as 1995’s Judge Dredd. And another 90s but more underground flick like “Wild Side” starring Anne Heche and Christopher Walken. Or 2000s “Autumn in New York” with Winona Ryder and Richard Gere.
However it was “The Wedding Banquet” from 1993 that impacted us. We watched it over and over as we were lucky and fortunate to have cable throughout our entire youth. Opening the windows to gay themed projects. Which manifested our understandings and comfort with the entire feeling. Although simultaneously. We comprehended how close-minded and ignorant the planet can and still continues to be.
This film is about a gay Chinese man having to bow down to parental pressure and marry a woman. All along he is actually happily settled in New York with his American boyfriend.
He plans a marriage of convenience to a Chinese woman in order to keep his parents off his back and to get the woman a green card. Chaos follows when his parents arrive in New York for the wedding.
But back to original broadcasting! Joan we adore you! We speak your name. But Miss Joan Chen’s did Criterion’s online series “Closet Picks”.
She pick and chose to many yummy movie that inspired and continue to influence her artistic journey.
