Siapa yang belom nonton film ini?
Pasti banyak yang sudah donk yaa. SPOILER ALERT yang di bawah yaaa, kalo blom nonton gausah baca 😀
Gw nonton film ini kurang lebih sebulan yang lalu. Gw agak surprise waktu gw bilang mau nonton film ini, eh misua bilang dia mau ikut. Kata dia review film ini di rottentomatoes bagus banget dan dipuji oleh kritikus2 film. Gw sebenernya gatau apa2 tentang film ini, baca novelnya juga nggak, liat trailernya juga nggak. Jadi gw masuk ke gedung bioskop tanpa banyak ekspektasi.
Ternyataaa film nya bagusss pisannn!!! Gw paling terharu pas Nick Young berlutut di pesawat, buka box dan disitu ada cincin mamanya. Surprised banget gw dan langsung seketika pengen nangis 😛 Adegan itu penting banget dan penuh arti, karena buat seorang Asian woman, sangat besar arti blessing mama mertua 🙂
Gw suka film ini karena sangat relate dengan kehidupan kita orang Asia. Yang meskipun kaya tujuh turunan, tapi masih ada sisi ‘normal’nya. Collin dan tunangannya ngajakin Nick dan Rachel makan di street food waktu pertama mereka sampai di Singapore. Si Eleanor waktu pesta di rumahnya masih turun sendiri ke dapur kasi perintah koki-kokinya. Keluarganya juga masih pegang tradisi, bikin dumpling rame-rame handmade. Dan penggambaran di filmnya ini sangat thoughtful. Eleanor ini old money – OKL (Orang Kaya Lama), yang baju-bajunya polos tanpa label yang ‘berteriak’ tapi sebenernya keluaran brand mahal. Dan kalo diperhatikan, Eleanor ini seringnya pake baju nuansa hijau, classy dan elegan. Setidaknya gw perna denger costume designernya memang memikirkan konsep demikian untuk Eleanor. Oh dan u know what, cincin hijau zamrud yang indah itu aslinya beneran punya Michelle Yeoh lho!
Sedangkan si Peik Lin dan keluarganya lebih mirip new money – OKB (Orang Kaya Baru) terlihat dari cara berpakaiannya yang lebih ‘rame’ dan ‘meneriakkan’ label brandnya. Lalu rumahnya yang katanya terinspirasi Trump’s bathroom!
Gw juga suka dengan adegan Astrid Leong. Si cewe dari keluarga super kaya, sepupu Nick Young, yang menikah dengan orang ‘biasa’. Gw suka banget dengan kalimat terakhir dia pada suaminya (dan dengar-dengar adegan ini twist banget dari bukunya):
“It’s not my job to make you feel like a man. I can’t make you something you’re not.”
Suaminya selalu merasa insecure sebagai pria ‘biasa’ yang menikah dengan wanita super kaya, dan Astrid selalu berusaha menjaga perasaan suaminya. Sampai dia tau kalo suaminya diam-diam selingkuh.
Film ini recommended banget dah untuk ditonton!
Dan setelah gw selesai nonton, mulai tuh gw cari-cari soundtrack film ini di Youtube. Terutama lagu terakhir yang pake bahasa Mandarin tapi adaptasi dari lagu Barat. Ternyata baru ngeh klo itu lagu Mandarin diadaptasi dari Yellow-nya Coldplay, pantes berasa familiar banget lagunya 😀
Dan gw nemu fakta menarik tentang dipakenya lagu ini. Katanya awalnya si sutradara Jon M. Chu pengen banget pake lagu Yellow Coldplay untuk klimaks scene film ini, tapi pihak Warner Bros Studio khawatir karena kata Yellow itu sering dipake untuk sikap rasis / merendahkan orang Asia. Akhirnya sutradara berhasil meyakinkan pihak studio dengan berkata: “If we’re going to be called yellow, we’re going to make it beautiful.”
Lalu gantian Coldplay yang menolak lagunya dipakai, kemungkinan karena alasan yang sama, karena takut Yellow ini akan menjadi suatu kontroversi sehubungan dengan filmnya yang all-Asian cast. Tapi Jon M. Chu tidak menyerah dan menulis surat pribadi ke Chris Martin, Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland and Will Champion (Coldplay’s members).
Jon Chu’s letter to Coldplay
Dear Chris, Guy, Jonny and Will, I know it’s a bit strange, but my whole life I’ve had a complicated relationship with the color yellow. From being called the word in a derogatory way throughout grade school, to watching movies where they called cowardly people yellow, it’s always had a negative connotation in my life. That is, until I heard your song.
For the first time in my life, it described the color in the most beautiful, magical ways I had ever heard: the color of the stars, her skin, the love. It was an incredible image of attraction and aspiration that it made me rethink my own self image.
I remember seeing the music video in college for the first time on TRL. That one shot with the sun rising was breathtaking for both my filmmaker and music-loving side. It immediately became an anthem for me and my friends and gave us a new sense of pride we never felt before…(even though it probably wasn’t ever your intention). We could reclaim the color for ourselves and it has stuck with me for the majority of my life.
So the reason I am writing this now, is because I am directing a film for Warner Bros. called CRAZY RICH ASIANS (based on the best selling novel) and it is the first ALL-ASIAN cast for a Hollywood studio film in 25 years. Crazy. We were recently featured on the cover of Entertainment Weekly to commemorate the fact.
The story is a romantic comedy about a young Asian-American woman (played by Constance Wu) from New York coming to terms with her cultural identity while she’s visiting her boyfriend’s mother (played by Michelle Yeoh) in Singapore. It’s a lavish, fun, romantic romp but underneath it all, there’s an intimate story of a girl becoming a woman. Learning that she’s good enough and deserves the world, no matter what she’s been taught or how she’s been treated, and ultimately that she can be proud of her mixed heritage.
The last scene of the movie shows this realization as she heads to the airport to return home a different woman. It’s an empowering, emotional march and needs an anthem that lives up and beyond her inner triumph, which is where Yellow comes in.
It would be such an honor to use your song that gave me so much strength throughout the years, to underscore this final part of our film. And for me personally, it would complete a journey that I’ve been going through, fighting to make it in the movie business.
I know as an artist it’s always difficult to decide when it’s ok to attach your art to someone else’s–and I am sure in most instances you are inclined to say no. However, I do believe this project is special. I do believe this is a unique situation in which the first Hollywood studio film, with an All-Asian cast is not playing stereotypes or side-players, but romantic and comedic leads. It will give a whole generation of Asian-Americans, and others, the same sense of pride I got when I heard your song. I know it’s recontextualized but I think that’s what makes it powerful. I want all of them to have an anthem that makes them feel as beautiful as your words and melody made me feel when I needed it most.
Your consideration would mean so much to me and our project.
I can show you the movie if you want to see the context, or talk to you if you have any questions. Thank you for taking the time to listen.
Much love,
Jon M. Chu
And Colplay finally give an OK.
Sejak itu gw denger lagu Yellow jadi merasa punya arti. Jon M. Chu sendiri adalah seorang Chinese American dan tahu rasanya menjadi seorang dengan mixed identities and culture blend. Dia tau banget bagaimana membawa cerita Rachel Chu – yang juga seorang Chinese American dalam cerita ini. Bagaimana bahwa Rachel merasa dia seorang Chinese – yang sama seperti Nick, tapi ibunya berkata bahwa Rachel bukan benar-benar Chinese karena dibesarkan di Amerika dan punya pemikiran orang Amerika. Demikian pula alasan Eleanor tidak menyukai Rachel, bukan karena Rachel tidak kaya, tetapi Eleanor merasa Rachel itu perempuan Amerika! Dan perempuan Amerika itu menomorsatukan mimpi dan karir daripada keluarga.
When you are a Chinese American, American will always say you are Chinese people. But Chinese native will say, you are not really Chinese!! I think that’s what the director felt, and also many many others Asian American.
Oh ya fakta lainnya: penyanyi cover lagu Yellow, Katherine Ho – yang masih sangat muda, juga seorang Asian American. Kina Grannis – yang nyanyi Can’t Help Falling in Love waktu nikahannya Collin – juga seorang Asian American. Memang bener di film ini, semuanya all-Asian cast!!
Kalo tertarik baca fakta-fakta tentang Crazy Rich Asian berikut link nya:
Yellow cover song almost didn’t make it to happen
https://www.bustle.com/p/the-yellow-cover-in-crazy-rich-asians-almost-didnt-happen-for-a-number-of-reasons-10225822
Mahjong scene explained
https://www.vox.com/first-person/2018/8/17/17723242/crazy-rich-asians-movie-mahjong
And here are the songs, cover by Katherine Ho and original by Coldplay 🙂
Nyonya Kecil 