At the 95th Academy Awards in 2023, "Everything Everywhere All At Once", a film that tells the intergenerational conflict and reconciliation of Chinese immigrant families in the United States in the fantasy packaging of the multiverse, became the biggest winner, winning important awards such as Best Film, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress, becoming one of the best Chinese films in Oscar history.
On March 12, 2023, local time, California, USA, Michelle Yeoh won the 95th Academy Award for Best Actress for "Instantaneous Universe" and became the first Chinese-American Oscar actress in history.
After the film swept the Oscar, Michelle Yeoh, who won the queen crown, also returned to the attention of Asian audiences, and there was a lot of discussion about Michelle Yeoh on Chinese social media. What many people don't know is that before winning the Oscar laurels, Michelle Yeoh was nominated for Best Newcomer, Best Actress, Best Actress at the Hong Kong Film Awards from 1985 to 2010, Best Actress at the Taiwan Golden Horse Awards, and Best Overseas Chinese Actress at the Huabiao Awards, but never won. Therefore, this "Instantaneous Universe" is indeed the highlight of her acting career, and it is also an inspiring "Finally!" for Asian fans who have watched her struggle in films from various countries along the way. "Moment. However, there are still many public opinions who unilaterally interpret the good results of "Instantaneous Universe" at this Oscar as the overkill of the United States as "political correctness", insinuating that this film is not suitable. Through the observation of the film and Michelle Yeoh's remarks before and after winning the award, this article would like to point out that the recognition mechanism of mainstream progressive culture in the United States represented by the Oscars is actually based on a set of American-centric "descendant" logic, and this "descent" weakens and dissolves the transnational background of Asian actors, and there are more complex contextual changes in the Sino-US relations game behind this "descent".
Whose "politics"? How to be "correct"?
At first glance, the film "Instantaneous Universe" is actually more like a niche cult movie movie, in which the Asian immigrant background, Chinese accent elements, kitsch aesthetics, and nonsensical constant references to sex objects and Asian films are not mainstream, so much so that Michelle Yeoh uses the most adjective "wacky" every time she comes out for an interview. But such Asian films can achieve both commercial and word-of-mouth success in the United States, which is actually inseparable from the current international environment and the background of the times.
From the Sino-US trade war to the anti-China sentiment and discrimination against Asians in Western society during the new crown epidemic, it is not difficult to see that the Western "democratic progress" camp led by the United States is constantly entering a confrontational mood against the Chinese mainland. However, this stance is not contradictory to the emerging and affirmative Asian American cultural products in recent years, but is actually two sides of the same political inclusion strategy. In order to avoid Asian Americans moving closer to China because they are disgusted by anti-China right-wing forces, the mainstream cultural circles in the United States need to emphasize the diversity and inclusiveness of the "American Dream", so that Asian Americans can always remember that they are "Americans" and then "Asians" - even if such minority pluralistic discourse has not really changed the fate of Asians being "alienated/otherized" relative to other ethnic groups for decades. Whether it is "forever foreigner" or "go back to China", these malicious words are constantly repeated in the ebb and flow of Sino-US international relations, reminding Asian Americans of the risk of always being "included" by the United States and may be "excluded" at any time.
In the context of such "alienation/otherness", the Asian stories that "Instantaneous Universe" can present are also destined to be extremely limited. To put it bluntly, the reason why this film can win the Oscar is because it plays the binary opposition true love narrative and postmodern banter collage to the extreme in the traditional Asian American narrative framework that can be understood and accepted by white people. In terms of protagonist setting (middle-aged and elderly Asian mother), sci-fi elements (multiverse crossing) and funny style (nonsensical collage), this film is unprecedented in the context of Asian-American movies. From these perspectives, it is indeed a breakthrough good movie, and the award is an affirmation of Asian culture anyway, and there is no such thing as "overkill" in the American context.
A still from "Instantaneous Universe"
But if it is removed from the context of "Asian-American films", can this film really enter the ranks of world cinema? The answer is no. "Instantaneous Universe" actually does not break through the common routines and basic logic of Asian-American films as "American movies". First, no matter how postmodern the film's audiovisual language is, no matter how many universes it has, and how many possibilities of time and space disorder, it still follows the ordinary linear development path of binary opposition, mother-daughter contradiction, and great love reconciliation in narrative. Second, as an American film, its Chinese image is still bound to commonplace stereotypical elements such as laundries, kung fu, and intergenerational conflicts of immigrants, and the deliberate banter of these elements is essentially a self-deconstructed cleverness, unable to really find another way, showing a "multiverse" that completely jumps from white expectations. Third, in terms of the film's ideological and moral orientation, it is even corny enough to overcome everything with "love". The countless universes created by the daughter as a villain finally have to make way for the truth of "love", so "love" has become the absolute political correctness and moral high point in this movie. In such a "boundless love", Michelle Yeoh's mother can travel through countless universes, become a kung fu superstar, become a lesbian, become a desert stubborn stone, but she must not abandon her motherhood. It's all about being a better mother, a better daughter, and thus a better way to return to the family, and a newcomer family that fits the American model of individualism and liberalism. Such a logic of true love overcoming everything is also a cliché of American romance blockbusters in the last century, and it is really difficult to say what breakthrough it has.
Descended movie stars and repressed transnationality
Compared with the firm fact that "Instantaneous Universe" is an American movie, what is more interesting and worth exploring is how the American film industry, represented by the Oscars, gradually "localize/Asianize" transnational Asian stars outside the play. In addition to Michelle Yeoh, who is well known to Chinese audiences, Guan Jiwei, who won the best actor this time, also has Asian cross-regional acting experience that has been almost completely ignored by American public opinion. He was born in Vietnam, immigrated to the United States and became a rare Hollywood Asian child star, once returned to Vietnam as an adult, filmed commercial films and eight-o'clock TV series in Hong Kong, Taiwan and other places in China, and then returned to the United States to become a stunt director, and finally was affirmed through this "Instantaneous Universe", shouting that he had realized the "American dream". This paradoxical "localization/Asianization" American dream has made multinational Asian actors such as Michelle Yeoh and Kwan Jiwei consciously downplay their own foreign backgrounds and transnational experiences, and gradually become "minorities" and "colored people" in the American discourse system, thus realizing the identity unity of "Asian/Asian-American" in and out of the play. Unsurprisingly, these very American-centric identity labels were used by Michelle Yeoh in backstage interviews after the Oscars.
In her Oscar acceptance speech, Michelle Yeoh first said:
For all the little boys and girls who look like me watching tonight, this is a beacon of hope and possibilities. This is proof that ... dream big, and dreams do come true. (To all the little boys and girls who look like me who are watching tonight, this is a beacon of hope and possibility.) This proves... Dream to your heart's content, it will come true. ）
When this sentence is translated into Chinese, its paradox is already on the verge of coming out. What are "little boys and girls who look like me (Michelle Yeoh)?" If this sentence is said in Chinese areas dominated by Chinese, it is obviously confusing. In the English context, this "look like me logic" (I would like to call it "patriarchal image-logic") has been used in the discourse of Asian self-identity, and it has become so commonplace that no one will actively question the racist structure behind it. On the one hand, Asian-Americans often encounter phrases like "all Asians look alike, all Asians (in American Chinese, East Asians) look the same," and almost every Asian-American has been mistaken by white people or deliberately mocked by this phrase when growing up as a child. When confronted with such racist discourse, Asians' first reaction is usually to deny "all Asians look alike" and point out that it is intolerable racial discrimination. On the other hand, when the Asian community receives mainstream cultural recognition and stands on the stage to receive the award, it often has to speak out on its own initiative to emphasize how important this recognition is to "all those who look like me." The essence of the contradictory attitude of the Asian American community towards the "patriarchal-like-logic" is the reality that American minorities are "divided and conquered" by the white-centric racial discourse.
As Michelle Yeoh puts it, her Oscar laurels represent a kind of "possibility." So what exactly is the "possibility"? From the first sentence of her speech, it can be seen that no matter what background Asian/Asian people won the Oscar, the first thing to affirm is the significance of the Oscar as a white-dominated judging mechanism for all Asians/minorities. Her subtext is: Asian/Asian people may also be recognized by white/American! In other words, if Asians want to affirm themselves, they must aim at the affirmation of Asians by whites/Americans, affirm the affirmation of Asians by whites/Americans, and further consolidate the role of the white/American mainstream as affirmative, firmly occupying an active position and formulating cultural mechanisms. Therefore, to some extent, Michelle Yeoh used "Patriarchal Image-Logic" and American "lighthouse" doctrine to affirm Oscar's affirmation of her as soon as she took office, and more directly shouted "This is the American dream" when Guan Jiwei took the stage! "They are all pandering to the systematic inclusion of minority/non-white foreigners by mainstream American ideology."
A still from "Instantaneous Universe"
In fact, as an international star with a multicultural background, multilingual ability, and rich experience, Michelle Yeoh is naturally familiar with the Oscar adoption mechanism and the multicultural routines of American society, and can also actively and selectively use it for me. When she won the Golden Globe Award for "Instantaneous Universe", Michelle Yeoh mentioned the process of being descended after coming to Hollywood, and joked about it. She said:
"I remember when I first came to Hollywood. It was a dream come true, until I got here. Because look at this face. I came here and was told, ‘You're a minority,’ and I said no, that’s not possible. And then someone said to me, ‘You speak English.’ I mean, forget about them not knowing Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Asia, India. And then I said, ‘Yeah, the flight here was like 13 hours long, so I learned. ("I remember the first time I came to Hollywood.") Until I arrived, I thought my dream had come true. Because look at this face. I came here and someone told me, 'You're a minority,' and I said no, it's impossible. Then someone said to me, 'You speak English!' ’。 They don't know the difference between Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Asia, India. And I said, 'Yes, the flight here is 13 hours, and I learned English on the plane.' ’”）
This passage accurately expresses the discomfort of a Chinese star who developed in the Chinese area when he came to Hollywood to passively become "Asian", and mocked the stereotype that Asians do not speak English and ignorance of Asian colonial history. But from the Golden Globes to the Oscars, the transnational character of Michelle Yeoh's speech is indeed weakening step by step. If the Golden Globes gave her a chance to reflect on her struggles in Hollywood, the Oscars put her at the top and forced her to embrace the highest recognition of the American Dream. In the face of such a supreme affirmation, it is inevitable to mention the unpleasant encounters when he first arrived and his acting experience in other countries.
There is another important reason behind Michelle Yeoh's intentional or unintentional pandering to the logic of American society before and after winning the award, that is, after all, the role she relies on for this award is an ordinary class Chinese-American immigrant, and she herself is not. Michelle Yeoh's grandfather is a Malaysian transport tycoon, and her father is a wealthy businessman who has been certified by the Malay royal "Dato", she studied in the UK at an early age, and she herself has a higher title of "Tan Sri " than "Dato". In other words, she comes from the top privileged and wealthy class of Malaysian Chinese, and after developing in Hong Kong in the 80s, she became a household name in the entire Chinese world. Her life experience and identity background are really far from the heroine in "Instantaneous Universe". It is precisely because of this that she needs to emphasize her Chinese identity, and this emphasis that has to be for it actually exposes another layer of paradox in the logic of American identity politics, that is, the mainstream progressive discourse in the United States is very taboo about interracial performance, but there is little discussion about the so-called transgender/directional, cross-class, cross-border performance ethics within the same race, and even many times, this kind of cross-identity performance within the race will become an important yardstick to judge whether an actor's acting skills are superb.
After all, to what extent can selective recognition of "exemplary members" of minorities improve the situation of Asian-American filmmakers and more ordinary Asians? If we put the mainstream American culture's avoidance and criticism of "cross-racial interpretation" (including playing blackface, playing yellow face, etc.) into the so-called Asian interpretation, will some Asian-American actors born in Sri Lanka feel that multinational actors like Michelle Yeoh, who have already good resources in Asia, have won Oscars by playing ordinary Asian-American immigrant roles?
New possibilities full of limitations and transnational paths
If we take identity politics' pursuit of authenticity to extremes, then Malaysian Chinese actors like Michelle Yeoh seem to be able to play Malaysian Chinese roles, which must be another extreme approach. Looking at Michelle Yeoh's acting resume, she has not actually participated in any films set in Malaysia, nor has she played any Malaysian Chinese roles. From the 80s to the 10s, she most often played ancient Chinese heroines and modern Hong Kong fighters/policewomen, and even played controversial roles such as Japanese kabuki and Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi in "Memoirs of a Geisha" and "Aung San Suu Kyi".
Looking back at Michelle Yeoh's star path, she has indeed achieved the cultural flexibility of integrating East and West that most Chinese actors cannot. From the nomination of the Academy Awards, the Golden Horse Award, and the Huabiao Award, to the final direct winning of the three major American film trophies, Michelle Yeoh and her fans will probably feel that her departure from the Greater China film circle to Hollywood is the right path. Since 2010, Michelle Yeoh has basically focused her career on Europe and the United States, especially since 2015, Michelle Yeoh, who has never appeared in a TV series, has participated in a series of adventure TV series produced in the United States, including "Marco Polo" and "Star Trek: Discovery". After filming "Instantaneous Universe", she and Guan Jiwei took on the Chinese-American action comedy "Journey to the West ABC (American Born Chinese)", which will be launched on the Disney+ platform. The show should become the hottest Asian-American TV series since "Fresh Off the Boat," especially with the blessing of two actors who are now Oscar-level. Michelle Yeoh plays "Guanyin Niangniang" in the play, and the theme of this drama is bound to make American audiences have a more "descendant" impression of her. In addition, almost all of the movies Michelle Yeoh has participated in but have not yet been released are American super blockbusters, including "Avatar" (3, 4), "Transformers: Rise of the Power Warriors" and "The Witch Prequel" (up and down).
Star Trek: Discovery stills
As Michelle Yeoh said, her golden age has just begun, and her Oscar laurels will only make her resources in the United States better and better, and more and more films. But as an Asian audience, we can't help but ask, will her Oscar coronation only make her more and more "localized/Chinese-American"? Or will it allow her to regain her original transnationality and reopen the Chinese film market with this west wind of "blossoming on the other side"? For Chinese audiences, when will the next time you hear Michelle Yeoh talk about Chinese in a movie theater?
(About author:Shi Donglai, Ph.D. in Comparative Literature, Department of English, University of Oxford, is currently a tenured associate professor at the School of Humanities of Shanghai Jiao Tong University and a part-time tutor of master's degree students in translation and cultural studies in the Department of Modern Language and Literature at the University of Warwick, focusing on world literature theory, postcolonial studies, Chinese cultural studies and Sino-African cultural exchanges. ）