These days, when individuals hear the title Justin Lin, they suppose big-time Hollywood director with installments in each the “Star Trek” reboot movie collection and the “Quick & Livid” franchise. However again in 2002, he was simply an indie filmmaker with one little-known function underneath his belt and never a lot credit score to his title. That every one modified with one movie, his 2002 Sundance breakout, “Higher Luck Tomorrow,” which he additionally edited, co-wrote, and co-produced with the assistance of Mr. “Can’t Contact This” himself, MC Hammer. The movie chronicles a gaggle of younger Asians in America who begin as overachievers however shortly flip to a lifetime of crime and violence. Although not based mostly on an actual story, Lin was influenced by the violence he noticed in his 20s, such because the Columbine shootings and extra straight the homicide of Stuart Tay.
Talking in a retrospective interview on the movie with IGN, Lin mentioned of the movie’s success, “It modified my life. What the movie did was not solely current a possibility to develop as a filmmaker, however in any case these years, it’s protected me. Any time I really feel like I is perhaps veering off, I feel again to [this] expertise. As a result of it was very pure. I’ve been lucky. I had no alternatives 23 years in the past, however now I’ve been in a position to strive the whole lot. ‘Higher Luck Tomorrow’ set the tone at present.”
In reflecting on the themes he was drawn to, Lin mentioned, “After I was rising up within the ‘80s, numerous it was about assimilation, discovering your self within the assimilation of being American. In doing that, there have been numerous guidelines that weren’t equal to all people. I feel it creates this schizophrenic approach of coping with life. You see it by suppression and probably not coping with sure issues. Issues get excessive, and oftentimes violent.”
Looking back, it might have appeared pure for Lin to attract on his personal experiences as a Taiwanese-American for the movie, however on the time, it was an enormous danger. He knew cultural labels might maintain him boxed in and nonetheless appears to be very acutely aware of it.
“Even in articles written about me, the very first thing is: ‘Taiwanese-American filmmaker,’” he mentioned to IGN. “I’m a filmmaker who’s Taiwanese-American. I do know it would seem to be the identical factor, however once you get the extent of labeling that delicate, I do suppose there are restrictions. I don’t wish to be put in these guidelines which might be restrictive. I simply wish to develop as a human being.”
That development wasn’t at all times sure although, as regardless of discovering North American distribution after Sundance, Asian markets weren’t as accepting of the movie.
“Asia wouldn’t contact us,” he mentioned. “We had been getting suggestions from Asian [distributors] saying in the event that they needed an American movie, they wanted to be white.”
Fortunately, Lin has been given an increasing number of alternatives and grown right into a Hollywood artistic whose motion is commonly backed-up by numerous casting on display screen and below-the-line. Lin acknowledges that he nonetheless appears to be carrying classes from his time making and releasing “Higher Luck Tomorrow.”
“I’ve been lucky to make large funds motion pictures,” mentioned Lin. “However after I began off, there have been no guidelines. I might solely method the whole lot [I made] as an indie film.”