Why is #LaLaLand a mixed bag for me? I must confess. I hate jazz and I hate musicals. But I fell in love with #LaLaLand, a masterpiece of filmmaking that served up a bittersweet ending with a smile. This is a quintessential Hollywood story, a fairy tale about chasing your dreams and never giving up. While it's filled with nostalgia, it taps into the hopes and aspirations of today's generation of creative dreamers.
This film bursts with color, but unfortunately, this rainbow is lacking in one color, the color that represents people of Asian heritage. It saddens me that a story so linked with modern day Hollywood doesn't just under-represent, it excludes Asian Americans. With all the hoopla surrounding this film, it's unfortunate that we live in an age where my excitement about watching this film is tempered by the fear of being invisible. It's even more disheartening when my worst fear comes true. I had a sick feeling in my stomach watching the end credits roll. I saw many names that I recognized, many people who I know and respect. I had to wait all the way until the Photographer's Assistant to recognize an Asian name. For those in the film industry, you know that's way down in the credits. It's in very small type.
As a member of Oscars, Emmys and Producers Guild, I celebrate the craft of the film, relate to the struggle of the artists, and am moved by the love story. But as a Chinese American, I lament the absence of people who look like my family, friends, community members and me. I am sobered by the fact that this film represents a truth to the realities of many Asian Americans in Hollywood.