Asian movies are gaining popularity in the US. From the historic wins of Mianri and Parasite at the Oscars to the success of RRR, Asian movies continued to showcase their wide range and stories.
Here you will get some great movie recommendations in different genres, allowing you to explore Asian films from Korea, China, Japan, the Philippines, India, and more and celebrate the popularity of the communities.
Seoul Searching
A Korean American movie premiered at Sundance in 2015. The film focuses on teenagers of Korean descent born in countries such as Mexico, the UK, and Germany.
The teens with diverse and unruly traveled to Seoul in 1986 to connect with their cultural heritage.
The movie is comedy and wholesome, showing the importance of cultural heritage and showcasing the Seol with its beauty.
Turning Red
Turning Red is set in Toronto, Canada. The story follows the Chinese Canadian teen Mei, who is an ordinary girl with a simple life. However, she becomes a giant red panda when her emotions get heightened.
Though she gets scared of her transformation, she discovers that this can be a key to seeing the ideals and meeting the boy band 4 Town.
The movie is tender and funny. It shows the coming-of-age story of the first Asian movie directed by Pixar and is a must be watched.
The White Tiger
The movie is based on a novel of the same name, written by Aravind Adiga. It features Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Rajkummar Rao, and Adarsh Gourav as leads.
The story focuses on Balram Halwai is considered a white tiger as someone whose intelligence is in their generation.
When he uses his mind to manipulate his way to being the driver of the local landlord’s son, Balram sets his mind to escape the poverty he lives in, and no matter what it costs, he will find a way.
The movie has gripping drama, highlighting the topics like caste, ambition, and wealth with wonderful acting from their cast.
Monsoon Wedding
The story is set in the modern upper middle class in India, The family with telecommunication between Western lifestyle and old traditions.
The movies capture the heightened feeling and chaos of a large wedding. Focusing on the story of Lalit and Pimm’s daughter who is getting married.
They invite friends and relatives from all across the world. The wounds get open, and secrets reveal, threatening to create more drama.
The monsoon wedding soundtrack is also known as one of the best movie soundtracks in Urdu and Punjabi.
In The Mood Of Love
The movie is one of the most beautiful, stylized, yet sad Chinese movies directed by Wong Kar Wai. The film was set in 1962.
Hong Kong about Mo Wan, a newspaper editor, and Li Zhen, a secretary. They start to spend more and more time together when they get to know their spouse’s affairs.
In The Mood Of Love shows the breathtaking costumes along with conveying the longing and mounting tension between two people.
Sweet & Sour
Are you in the mood to watch some romance with a crazy twist? Sweet & Sour is a Korean movie based on the novel “Initiation Love’ by Inui Kurumi.
The story is set in modern-day romance surviving the highly competitive workplace. A couple endures the highs and lows, working hard to make their long-distance work.
Jang Hyuk wants to maintain his relationship with Da Hun, his girlfriend, and work. However, he meets Bo Young, who works in his office.
The competitive workplace pushes Jang Hyuk and Bo-young to stay close and create feelings for each other.
The Drug King
Set In Busan during the 1970s, Lee Doo Sam built his empire as a drug smuggler. The story focuses on his rise and fall, a small-time smuggler who ended up taking the dark crime wood; and leading a double life.
During the day, he poses as a leader who wants to do good for the community but is an infamous drug lord at night.
The story is gripping and intense, acted by Song Kang Ho, Jo Sung Suk, and Bae Doona. This movie is for you if you are into watching crime shows about drug lords.
A Choo
With the combination of rom-com and superhero twist, this Taiwanese movie has everything you want.
The story focuses on two orphan kids, Wang Yi Zhi and Xin Xin. Wang Yi Zhi is in love with Xin Xin, and when they are older, Yi Xhi decides to train himself as a boxer before he confesses his feelings.
But Xin Xin ends up falling in love with a geeky computer engineer who is hiding his identity of being a superhero.
However, one day Xin Xin gets kidnapped, and it’s Yi Zhi’s turn to prove his love and fighting skills to protect her.
Super Me
Super Me is a gripping Chinese drama telling the story of a little-known screenwriter who finds his superpower where he can bring treasures from his dream to the real world. Using his power, he starts marketing his supernatural life.
Sang Yu is a struggling screenwriter. One night, his life changes when he gets possessed and develops the ability to fetch things from his dreams.
He decides to turn the whole thing into a business, but with that, he finds out that the entire thing might not be as easy as it seems, and there is a price to pay.
The Hows Of Us
A Filipino romantic comedy, the movie is directed by Cathy Garcia Molina.
The movie highlights the hardship of long-term relationships and what it takes to save the love between a couple.
The Hows Of Us follows the couple, Primo and George, who are in a long-term relationship. They have their future plan and are all set to build their life. Their love is put up to the test when the hurdles start to mess up their planning.
By Amanda
Another Filipino movie that you can consider watching is My Amanda. The movie is about two best friends, TJ and Amanda. Even though they are not romantically involved, they have a close relationship.
The story processes as they navigate their relationship while dealing with complicated things to make their relationship survive.
The Super Parental Guardians
The Filipino film has all-time and broke box office records in the country during its opening weekends.
When Arci’s best friend Sarah gets murdered, leaving her kids Megan and Ernie’s custody on Arci, they have no idea what to do when Paco, looking for a killer behind Sarah’s murder, also moves in with this new family.
The movie is hilarious and a fun watch you can consider watching if you are in the mood for something light.
Lingua Franca
Directed by, starring, and based on a script written by her, Isabel Sandoval captures the loneliness and desperation in her movie Lingua Franca.
The story shows the immigrant in America, Sandoval, who plays the character of Olivia, a trans caregiver for an elderly patient.
Eamon Farren plays the grandson of the elderly patient’s grandson, dealing with his own troubles, and ends up falling in love with Olivia.
The movie received praise from critics for showing a unique way of intimate and understated style.
Parasite
Oscar-winning movie Parasite showcases the story of two families, one rich and one poor. The contrast between the two families and how they intertwine with each other leads to a dark result.
The movie also became the first movie that won four academy awards, becoming the first non-English language film to win the best picture.
Featured Image Source: Vox