Seeking Asian Female was well-received at its world premiere at Austin's SXSW Film Festival. The film surprised me, because it sounded initially like a gimmicky film about the tawdry phenomenon of lonely American men with "yellow fever" seeking out compliant Asian girls. It seemed to start out that way for the filmmaker, but eventually once a real couple, Steven and Sandy, emerge the film really becomes a case study of how difficult any relationship can be. This one is further complicated by differences of age, culture, and language which, of course, undermine their ability to communicate. The film maker is also placed in the odd position where she goes from being a neutral observer to participant (as translator and confidant) of the struggling couple. To her credit she addresses this conflict of interest head-on and acknowledges the complexities that it creates. In the process director Debbie Lum produces a compelling film that asks profound questions about love and relationships that seem to go well beyond her original premise. The film is absorbing and entertaining. The quirkiness of Steven's character certainly adds to the film. It was, however, a little surprising that the film never addresses the questions of sex or whether they planned to have children. These elephants in the room would seem to add some additional layers to the film. Nevertheless, the film brings light to many interesting issues including marriage-related cross-cultural immigration. As the director noted in the Question & Answer session, there are very few films that address Asian-American issues and this is one that takes a positive step in that direction.
