Better Luck Tomorrow, Masculinity, and Representation
I really enjoyed the aesthetic of this film. It was able to use the conventions of so many genres and create something that still felt new to me. I'm not entirely sure how new it felt, but there are things that make this film different than a traditional high school movie or gangster movie, even though it's pulling heavily from both those genres. There's a degree of separation from genre altogether because it's parodying the genres without entirely conforming.
I'm not sure what makes the masculinities in Better Luck Tomorrow entirely new. It does feel, as we discussed in class, as if already circumscribed masculinities are being represented and parodied. Of course, the film is groundbreaking because it's able to represent Asian American men in ways that aren't limited to stereotypes of "the laundry, the triad, the kung-fu club, or the academic decathlon" (Hillenbrand 50) but what exactly is the masculinity that is created from mimicry? Are the characters able to "access... fully fledged... three-dimensional masculinity" (50)? Honestly, I'm not completely sure what that is. I'm not sure it's possible to task film with creating three-dimensional masculinity, especially a film that is meant to be using genre to subvert stereotypes.
In some scenes, the masculinity does feel like already played out presentations of toxic masculinity. The scene where a prostitute is hired for Ben and Virgil doesn't feel like it's doing anything new except creating a space where Asian Americans are represented as masculine and sexual, which could be seen as groundbreaking or reductive depending on your perspective. Hillenbrand suggests that by reversing stereotypes you reinforce them, but that seems too simplistic and this is simply one scene. Hillenbrand also states that, "male identities are made in the movies... and a masculinity that has no presence in the mainstream is one that, at some level, is awaiting entry into Americanness too" (55). She suggests that Asian American representation lies within the norms of these already created ideals of masculinity, perhaps representations of men we have seen many times before. So does that mean Asian American men must play reiterations of the white masculinities, like the scene I mentioned above or the high school romantic searching for his cheerleader. Or is this not a white masculinity but a universal masculinity? I certainly don't think it's universal, and I do think it's a rather empty, two-dimensional masculinity, but that doesn't mean it's not and shouldn't be available to Asian Americans.
Overall, I really don't know what to make of the quote from page 55. I think this film in many ways denies easy labels and even though in many ways these characters seemed empty due to the parody and pastiche of the film, it still is important for representation and the representation itself is more complicated than what I tried to describe. I find myself struggling to describe the characters precisely because they both do and don't adhere to characterizations. This film is a lot more complicated than it originally appears to be and in that sense, I think the characters and the story are subversive.
I agree that this film doesn't seem to show anything new. The newness that we might feel is just due to the fact that there are hardly any other films where we can see Asian American men acting like anything other than the geek or the Kung Fu guy.
ReplyDeleteI really love your point. I did not think of the characters like the way you did. Your idea is such a great insight. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI'm about as conflicted as you with the film, it really feels like it is and isn't doing anything new. While it seems groundbreaking, I definitely don't think this is a great type of masculinity. Which is reinforced by Ben 'getting the girl' at the end.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that there is an emptiness to the masculinity the film offers. I think a lot of that has to do with the blending of high school and crime gangster genres, where the film assumes by showing us recognizable images of high school pressure will make us understand the characters. The film's hallow ending really exemplified the moment where I struggled what to make of the characters.
ReplyDeleteI think the question you ask-- "What exactly is the masculinity that is created from mimicry?"-- is a really important one. While I think it's definitely important to show that "masculinity" is not something only white men possess, I cannot help but feel that the "masculinity" which Lin presents is rather toxic, particularly because we never get to see the leads face any consequences for their actions. At the same time, I think the film is important in that it shows Asian Americans do not need to be these perfect or respectable people in order to be on the screen. I've been finding it really difficult to decide how I feel about this film.
ReplyDeleteHonestly it's almost like the representation is conflicting with one another. Although we get Asian American representation that isn't stereotypical and isn't based around a model minority myth , it feels overshadowed because the film oozes such a massive amount of toxic masculinity that the representation almost still feels negative regardless of going against stereotypes. It's kind of like trying to make a unique ice sculpture with a blowtorch. The idea of the sculpture is innovative but the method you're using to create the sculpture is all wrong.
ReplyDeleteThis is such an insightful question: "What exactly is the masculinity that is created from mimicry?" I think you really point out the ways that they film offers a lot of critique of masculinity while failing to offer an real or productive alternative. But perhaps it is asking too much of the film if it is only meant to be parody in the first place.
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