Easter Sunday Movie: Jo Koy gives America a glimpse into Fil-Am family life
Easter Sunday Movie: Jo Koy gives America a glimpse into Fil-Am family life
Written by Sheena Minoc,
Marketing & Events, Therapin*y Team
Easter Sunday is a uniquely Filipino American comedy about a struggling actor who travels home to Daly City with his son to spend the holiday with his family. It’s one of the only (if not only?) portrayals of the Filipino-American family backed by a major studio.
I was lucky enough to attend the advanced screening hosted by Gold House, which featured a post-movie conversation with stars of the movie Jo Koy, Jimmy O. Yang, Lou Diamond Phillips, Tia Carrere, and Director Jay Chanderasekhar. 35 years before this screening (to the day), La Bamba, premiered in the very same theater. Back then, there were no roles for Filipinos in Hollywood and Lou Diamond Phillips predominantly played Mexican and Native American roles… and now there is finally a whole film centered around a Filipino family.
“There are 1.8m Filipinos in California. There are more [...] Filipinos in California than there are people in New Hampshire, Delaware, and Rhode Island. So I’m saying this as a context of, ‘what’s next?’” asked moderator Jose Antonio Vargas (Pulitzer Prize journalist and immigration activist).
“Well, the door’s wide open. Let’s just keep it open,” said Jo Koy.
The question is, how do we keep it open? It’s simple. Go watch the movie. Take your whole family and all your friends. No, Therapinay.com does not make any advertising or affiliate money to promote Easter Sunday. The fact is, if we want to see ourselves represented on the big screen, we have to show up.
ALLISON HUTCHINS (SAN DIEGO, CA)
“To see my experience validated by people who look like, sound, act, and eat like my family is so important. I didn’t realize how much of that emotional validation I needed on the big screen until I saw that movie,” said Allison Hutchins, Digital & Creative Functional Recruiter.
Is it worth seeing? In my opinion, yes. This movie made me feel seen. The beef between Joe Valencia’s mom and Tita Teresa felt like the story of my mom and her sisters (Fun fact: my mom’s name is Teresita).
ANTHONY SCHLANDER (SAN FRANCISCO, CA)
“Man, my mom can play Jo’s mom in the movie without rehearsals or script. The urgency in making sure you’re there for Easter or for any big holiday. The church scene. Omg. On point. How our families are when we are all together,” said Anthony Schlander, Event Promoter (San Francisco).
Are you going to see Easter Sunday this weekend? If you do, let us know your thoughts!