This film was written by David Henry Hwang and is truer to his critique of colonialism than the compromised motion picture version of his stage play "M. Butterfly" (see above). Set in the 1950s and '60s, a white F.B.I. agent (Dillon) feels remorseful about his persecution of an innocent Chinese American man (Tzi Ma), and he assuages his guilt by contriving a romantic relationship with the man's daughter (Chen). But the agent's past comes back to haunt him. This film's criticism is incisive: assuaging white, male colonial guilt with erotic fascination for Asian women solves nothing. The European creators of "Miss Saigon" could probably learn something here.

Set on Easter Island before its "discovery" by Europeans, this film is a parable of ecological devastation. Director Reynolds ("Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves," "Waterworld") etches his environmentalism with a heavy hand (at one point, we see Jason Scott Lee hugging a tree--literally!). Still, this take on the eternal love triangle is well told and impressively photographed. And it's a nice change of pace to see a story of the Pacific Islands with--get this! --Pacific Islanders as the main characters, played by an Asian/Latino cast (Easter Island is now governed by Chile). A refreshing reminder that the history of the South Pacific didn't begin with the explorer Captain Cook and the painter Gauguin.

Bursting with all the energy and hunger of a first-time director, Mina Shum whimsically tracks the travails and triumphs of a young Chinese Canadian actress as she breaks away from her traditional immigrant family.

Sandra Oh ("Arli$$") won the Canadian equivalent of the Best Actress Oscar for her radiant performance in the lead role. Some have criticized this film's portrayal of its Asian men (they're either squares, gay, or middle-aged) and the lead character's relationship with a white guy. But this is no "white knight" fantasy (the final image shows the Oh character setting off on her own--not in her white lover's arms). And for all their faults, the Asian characters are ultimately human. Splendidly so. For another viewpoint, read what Guy Aoki of MANAA says about the film, or the Washington Post, the San Francisco Gate, or Box Office Magazine, or the review from Roger Ebert!

Mina Shum, the director/writer was born in Hong Kong and raised in Canada. She has written and directed six short films including Picture Perfect, which received the nomination for Best Drama under 30 minutes at the 1989 Yorkton Film Festival. As a director resident at the Canadian Film Centre, Ms. Shum developed her first feature length film, Double Happiness, which premiered at the 1994 Toronto International Film Festival and went on to win prizes in Vancouver, Torino, Italy and Berlin.

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