Five Asian films for AAPI Month

Happy 49 years of AAPI month! AAPI month stands to recognize the many accomplishments and contributions of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities in America. Initially introduced as AAPI week in June 1977 by U.S representatives Frank Horton and Norman Mineta, this event was recognized as an annual event by Jimmy Carter the following year. In 1992, George H. W. Bush designated May as the official month for AAPI.  

This month is especially exciting for me, as your designated Asian writer and film enjoyer. This article is simply not large enough to encapsulate the full beauty of Asian cinema. AAPI is such a big umbrella term, so it’s difficult to only write about 5 films. I encourage you to explore more films after reading, and perhaps you’ll find even better hidden gems! 

Before we start, a warning: I have an affinity towards sad movies. Be prepared and bring tissues. 

#1 — Past Lives (2024) 

Description: Nora and Hae Sung, two deeply connected childhood friends, are torn apart after Nora’s family emigrates from South Korea. Decades later, they are reunited for one fateful week as they confront destiny, love and the choices that make a life. 

Country: Korea 

This is genuinely my favorite movie of all time. I still think about the soundtrack and cinematography even after 2 years. Funnily enough, the Past Lives soundtrack became my 3rd most listened to album, according to my Spotify Wrapped. Past Lives tackles themes of how identity shifts and changes from an immigrant’s lens. This story mirrors director Celine Song’s life. Originally born in South Korea, Song moved to Canada at the age of 12. Past Lives is made better by the lead actors, Greta Song and Teo Yoo. This movie stuck with me deeply, as a daughter of Korean immigrants. This movie will be forever timeless. 

#2 — Didi (2024) 

Description: In 2008, during the last month of summer before high school begins, an impressionable 13-year-old Taiwanese American boy learns what his family can’t teach him: how to skate, how to flirt, and how to love his mom. 

Country: Taiwan 

Shoutout independent filmmakers! Didi is director Sean Wang’s first feature film, but that doesn’t mean he’s inexperienced. Sean Wang’s short film, Nai Nai and Wài Pó was nominated for the Oscar for Best Documentary Short Film back in 2024 and is available to watch on Disney+. Didi is set in the late 2000s, and Sean Wang nails the nostalgia of the time. From mentions of Paramore’s Riot! to Ryan Higa’s “How to be Ninja” YouTube video, this movie nails what it means to be a young Asian-American in the late 2000s. Fun internet easter eggs and cool skateboarding tricks aside, this movie’s main driving force is the relationship between Chris (played by Izaac Wang) and his mother (played by Joan Chen). After watching this movie back in 2024, I drove back home and immediately hugged my mother. 

#3 — 3 Idiots (2009) 

Description: In college, Farhan and Raju form a great bond with Rancho due to his positive and refreshing outlook on life. Years later, a bet gives them a chance to look for their long-lost friend whose existence seems rather elusive. 

Country: India 

Whenever I would talk to my South Asian friends about good Bollywood movies, this movie would always come up in conversation. 3 Idiots masters its craft with funny, lighthearted moments balanced with its tear-jerking moments. This satirical movie takes jabs at the rigid and cut-throat Indian education system and the society surrounding it. The movie still stands up today – which poses another question of whether that is necessarily a good thing. Regardless, this movie is just a single glimpse of the wonderful world of Bollywood! 

#4 — How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies (2024) 

Description: M, a university dropout low on money and luck, volunteers to take care of his terminally ill grandmother, in the hope of pocketing an inheritance. 

Country: Thailand 

Grab those tissues. How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies is a movie that deeply examines the relationship between a grandmother and her extended family. While the main character, M, plans to take care of his grandmother that had just recently been diagnosed with stomach cancer to gain her inheritance, he soon learns the importance of family. This movie highlights generational trauma commonly found in Asian families. This movie showcases everyday life of Thai families, along with Thai Buddhist customs before ripping your heart out. 

#5 — Boy (2010) 

Description: Boy, an 11-year-old child and devout Michael Jackson fan who lives on the east coast of New Zealand in 1984, gets a chance to know his absentee criminal father, who has returned to find a bag of money he buried years ago. 

Country: New Zealand 

Pacific Islander director Taika Waititi is known for his comedic yet heartfelt movies, like his films Hunt for the Wilderpeople, What We Do in the Shadows, and Thor: Ragnarok. Boy highlights the Māori population of New Zealand, a community that makes up around 17% of the population of New Zealand. Waititi has a distinct style of screenwriting. He balances his quippy one-liners with his sincere storylines. This movie is a touching exploration between the thin, silver line of childhood and adulthood. Thank God for Asian cinema and thank God for AAPI month! 

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