9/3/2023 0 Comments Best sound reference tsai chinIt was pre-Crazy Rich Asians, maybe now it would be different? But I still don’t know, it’s still featuring an older woman. People loved the script but they wouldn’t know what to do with it. We had tried to raise finance for the movie for a few years, but you know, nobody wanted to make a movie about an old Chinese lady that was mostly in Chinese so it was a really hard sell. Lucky Grandma won the grant from Tribeca Film Festival/Tribeca Film Institute and AT&T, how long were you into production or writing when that happened? And obviously Big Pong was our Andre the Giant like in Princess Bride. We were also really inspired by the writing in the film The Maid (2010) which has the same dark humour. Bong Joon-ho is one of my biggest influences and I grew up watching Hong Kong gangster movies. Besides Agnès, we were obviously inspired by the Coen Brothers. SS: Yes! You got all of our references! I think you’re the only one who recognised both our Awkwafina and Agnès Varda reference. When I was watching the film, I’m not sure if it’s intentional, but the opening really reminded me of Cleo from 5 to 7, was that an homage to Agnès Varda? And what/who were your other influences in making the film? They have their own food court and they advertise in Chinatown! They really cater to their Asian, mostly Chinese, audience. SS: Yeah, those casinos are so crazy and bizarre. It was pretty clear to me from that scene what it would be, a lot of the things that changed were the subtle things, the basic premise was always there - the character work, family work, that kind of changed over time.ĬM: You knew that you wanted her at the casino and you had the image of her coming in. I really wanted to write a story where one small decision snowballs. SS: I was on one of those Chinatown buses and I had an image of the bag scene, that was the starting point of the inspiration. I have heard about the Chinatown buses before, but the film just takes it on such a journey. Although, I don’t know how many people recognised Awkwafina - I’m really happy you caught it! I don’t know if I’ve noticed any specific differences. They like dark, dry kind of humour - we’ve had a lovely reception here. SS: I feel like the Brits kinda like it, they like gangster movies. SQ: This film is such a beautiful love letter to New York, from the Chinatown buses to using a song from New York’s own Awkwafina, how has it been sharing Lucky Grandma to a London audience?ĬM: It’s different when you watch it with more Asian people in the audience because there are some jokes the London audience don’t get, but there was a laugher so it didn’t feel that different. I had the absolute pleasure of speaking to the director Sasie Sealy, veteran actress Tsai Chin and one of the film’s producers, Cara Marcous during the film’s run at LFF. The film explores ageing and the immigrant experience in unprecedented ways all while feeling like the classic comedy-action films you watched growing up. To protect herself, she hires a bodyguard from a rival gang in the form of Big Pong (Corey Ha). Her luck eventually runs out and she is left targeted by a local gang. The dark comedy stars Tsai Chin ( The Joy Luck Club) as Grandma Wong, the chain-smoking widow who tries her luck at the casino following a local fortune teller’s advice. I’m not quite sure whether it’s because Grandma Wong reminds me of the resilient, sharp-witted, and caring women in my own life or if it’s because I am hoping (maybe even anticipating) to become like Grandma Wong when I’m older, either way, Sasie Sealy’s Lucky Grandma is an instant favourite from this year’s LFF. 0 In Conversation with ‘Lucky Grandma’’s Sasie Sealy, Tsai Chin, and Cara MarcousĪ film about a widowed 80-year-old Chinese woman who finds herself entangled with rival gangs in New York’s Chinatown was not the film I expected to resonate with the most at this year’s BFI London Film Festival, but I truly have not stopped thinking about it since my first viewing.
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