"The Grace Lee Project"--a film for all Asian American women
Sunday, July 17, 2005
Are all Grace Lee’s the same? Director Grace Lee had to know.
Thanks to Laura and a random girl on friendster under the name of “Kiddo,” I heard about the Grace Lee Project. It’s part of the Asian American International Film Festival out here. Thanks to Laura and a random girl on friendster under the name of “Kiddo,” I heard about the Grace Lee Project. It’s part of the Asian American International Film Festival out here. Grace Lee, the filmmaker, grew up in the Midwest where she was unique, the only Asian for MILES, and so her name, therefore, was also unique. Until she moved to Los Angeles. Suddenly, she was no longer unique. Everyone knew a Grace Lee from somewhere. They always described her the same way:
“She was really quiet.”
“Valedictorian of my high school.”
“I think she was really good at piano or violin or something.”
“I remember that she was very nice, a good Christian girl.”
After hearing the same bland description of women with the same name, Grace began to wonder if she was as forgettable as all the other Grace Lees. So forgettable, in fact, that no one really seemed to keep in touch with the Grace Lee of their past.
It was a really fun documentary to watch. It was all narrated by the filmmaker as a personal journey of self-discovery about what made her unique or what bound her to the other Grace Lee’s of the world. There was a lot of stuff that just applied to Asian American women in general. A lot of parts had me rolling! Especially the part where she showed clip after clip of all the Grace Lees describing other Grace Lees in the same bland manner (nice, smart, etc.) and then reassuring the filmmaker that “I think I’m different from *that* Grace Lee.”
It made me wonder if we’re all cut from the same mold and spend our lives reaffirming that stereotype or lashing out at it. Petite. Pretty. An over-achiever. Well mannered. Smart. Good at some instrument (either violin or piano). All these things, to me, are things that I have not necessarily rebelled against, but definitely don’t mind if I don’t fit. I’m not petite AT ALL. I’m not well mannered (sorry, parents!). I am most certainly not good at the piano or violin. I am loud, brassy, edgy, boisterous, harsh and peculiar with an undercurrent of kind running below it all. Not typical. AND I have a low voice, which people who are just meeting me always comment, “Wow! That’s not the voice I thought you’d have! Something higher and cuter was what I had imagined!” Boooo on stereotypes.
But am I really breaking the stereotype? Or am I just one of the Graces saying, “Oh, but *I’m* different!!”
I suppose that there are worse thing to be compared to than some woman who is the uber human, even if she is boring. I guess I’d better just get used to being compared to the stereotyped and shocking other people with my low voice and my habit of mocking everything.
, the filmmaker, grew up in the Midwest where she was unique, the only Asian for MILES, and so her name, therefore, was also unique. Until she moved to Los Angeles. Suddenly, she was no longer unique. Everyone knew a Grace Lee from somewhere. They always described her the same way:
“She was really quiet.”
“Valedictorian of my high school.”
“I think she was really good at piano or violin or something.”
“I remember that she was very nice, a good Christian girl.”
After hearing the same bland description of women with the same name, Grace began to wonder if she was as forgettable as all the other Grace Lees. So forgettable, in fact, that no one really seemed to keep in touch with the Grace Lee of their past.
It was a really fun documentary to watch. It was all narrated by the filmmaker as a personal journey of self-discovery about what made her unique or what bound her to the other Grace Lee’s of the world. There was a lot of stuff that just applied to Asian American women in general. A lot of parts had me rolling! Especially the part where she showed clip after clip of all the Grace Lees describing other Grace Lees in the same bland manner (nice, smart, etc.) and then reassuring the filmmaker that “I think I’m different from *that* Grace Lee.”
It made me wonder if we’re all cut from the same mold and spend our lives reaffirming that stereotype or lashing out at it. Petite. Pretty. An over-achiever. Well mannered. Smart. Good at some instrument (either violin or piano). All these things, to me, are things that I have not necessarily rebelled against, but definitely don’t mind if I don’t fit. I’m not petite AT ALL. I’m not well mannered (sorry, parents!). I am most certainly not good at the piano or violin. I am loud, brassy, edgy, boisterous, harsh and peculiar with an undercurrent of kind running below it all. Not typical. AND I have a low voice, which people who are just meeting me always comment, “Wow! That’s not the voice I thought you’d have! Something higher and cuter was what I had imagined!” Boooo on stereotypes.
But am I really breaking the stereotype? Or am I just one of the Graces saying, “Oh, but *I’m* different!!”
I suppose that there are worse thing to be compared to than some woman who is the uber human, even if she is boring. I guess I’d better just get used to being compared to the stereotyped and shocking other people with my low voice and my habit of mocking everything.
For the record, word of your “low voice” had preceded actually meeting you, and when I met you, I didn’t think it was low at all, but rather normal. So there.
Posted by Ramone on 07/17 at 07:48 PMi don’t think you can be one of the Graces, since you’re actually Kathleen =) hahhaha… but i’m a Grace for real (but not really cause i’m more like your twin) yes, that’s right - we’re atypical asian women, which is what earned us the descriptor “insane” at lljc, remember?
Posted by kimi =) on 07/18 at 02:18 AMWell, I can call you Grace if you want me to.
Nah, I can’t.
You’re atypical. Be thankful. Or something.
Posted by Greg on 07/19 at 12:21 PMTypical? Ha! I fart in your general direction! You are anything but the uber typical. While there are some times you are a little “ill” mannered, I’m very happy that you aren’t the same as all the other Grace Lees. Not that I’m putting down Grace, heaven knows I know at least 2 with that same description, it’s just that having someone who’s taller and can scare small Japanese men into submission is so much more fun!
Posted by on 07/19 at 09:43 PMIt does make me wonder what roles our respective cultures play in our lives, though. Would you agree that the stereotype is mostly good, if boring? That the stereotype of an Asian woman is that she is responsible, respectful, and does well for herself in life? If there’s any truth at all to that stereotype, how do you harness all those expectations of success, all that love from your parents in the form of discipline, AND assert who you are as an individual. It must be tough.
On the other hand, you do play piano well and I suck at it, because I was allowed to “assert myself as an individual” at an early age. You produce incredible work, and you pursue every goal relentlessly. I don’t know how much of your ambition and drive is part of a larger cultural gift, but I’m sure that you are, to some extent, a product of your parents and their hopes for you. I also think that you do a great job of giving the world the best of yourself and your context; the whole point of a multicultural society is that it is a little confusing and messy, i.e. interesting.
And I wouldn’t like you as well if you weren’t a little rude.
Posted by on 07/22 at 05:39 AMHey, i just got an email from Grace Lee. She actually read my post! Wow. It’s amazing what a blog posting can do.
Anyway, for those who are interested and in the tri-state area, there’s another screening of her documentary, so please save the dates Dec 14-27 when it will screen at Film Forum in nyc!
Posted by kat on 07/22 at 06:56 AM