I recently heard from our friend, screenwriter Koji Steven Sakai, who is teaming up producer Quentin Lee for another feature film. The two previously collaborated on the sexy indie romantic comedy The People I've Slept With, but this time they're getting mixed up with something completely different: Chink, "the first Asian American serial killer movie." And with a title like that, you know they're wading into some pretty provocative waters. Chink is about an Asian American man who has internalized the racism he felt as a child and turned it into a hatred of all Asian -- including himself. His anger and his desire to be like his hero, Ted Bundy, leads him to violence and ultimately to his dream of becoming the greatest serial killer in history.
Here's some more information, straight from the filmmakers:
A Chinese American boy grows up being called "chink" and "gook." The kids at school make fun of him by pulling their eyes back, asking if he knows kung fu, and wanting to know what dogs taste like. He's embarrassed by his immigrant parents' heavy accents. After hitting puberty, he feels emasculated because depictions of Asian men in the media are condescending and asexual. Caucasian girls seem unattainable while Asian girls always seem to prefer white guys. He develops a sense of self-hatred for the color of his skin. However, his parents pressure him to be successful, so he always followed the rules and got good grades. Despite his emotional baggage, he graduated from college and got a good job.This sounds like some twisted, crazy-ass shit that's going to blow the hell out of the usual model minority stereotypes. You've certainly got me intrigued.
A familiar concept, yes? But what if this man also happens to be a sociopath? What if he overcompensates for low self-esteem by believing that he's superior to everyone around him? What if he idolizes serial killers like Ted Bundy? Everyone thinks of him as a "good" man. A polite man. A quiet man. But that's just a mask for the maggots and parasites that crawl beneath the skin.
It's time for the so-called "model minority" stereotype to die. Take some dynamite and a blowtorch and blow it out of the water.
Chink is a slasher movie with a message. With this film, we intend to explore issues about racial identity and self-hate, but stories about identity politics don't have to take themselves so seriously. They can have blood, guts, and sex too.
The film stars Jason Tobin and Eugenia Yuan, and marks the directorial debut of Stanley Yung. The production team recently launched a fundraising campaign through United States Artists. They're trying to raise at least $10,000 by January 30. To learn more about the project, or to make a pledge and help with the production of Chink, go here.