History Film / ChanIsMissing

''Chan Is Missing'' is a 1982 film directed by Wayne Wang.

Wayne Wang has since gone on to direct big-time Hollywood productions, such as ''Literature/TheJoyLuckClub'', which also deals with the Chinese-American community and ''Film/MaidInManhattan''.

Made on a budget of $22,000, most of which came from a government grant. Famous as the first film made by Asian Americans to get wide distribution in the United States (1916's ''Film/TheCurseOfQuonGwon'' was only screened twice). Wayne Wang has since gone on to direct big-time Hollywood productions, such as ''Literature/TheJoyLuckClub'', which also deals with the Chinese-American community and ''Film/MaidInManhattan''.

Made on a budget of $22,000, most of which came from a government grant. Famous as the first film made by Asian Americans to get wide distribution in the United States (1916's ''Film/TheCurseOfQuonGwon'' was only screened twice). Wayne Wang has since gone on to direct big-time Hollywood productions like ''Film/MaidInManhattan'' and ''Literature/TheJoyLuckClub''.

* FilmNoir: The film eventually becomes this as Jo finds some evidence that Chan may have been involved with a murder that arose out of an argument between supporters of mainland China and supporters of Taiwan at a Chinatown parade. There's a gun, there's ominous music, there's a mystery woman who may be Chan's mistress. Jo becomes paranoid that he's being followed. He even gets a mysterious phone call telling him to stop asking questions about Chan. Subverted in the end when the mystery doesn't go anywhere and is never solved (see {{Anticlimax}} above).

* TheUnsolvedMystery: Chan's disappearance is never solved.

* {{Anticlimax}}: The mystery is never solved! Eventually Chan's daughter looks up Jo and Steve and returns their $4000, which Chan apparently gave to her. But we never find out where Chan is or why he disappeared or even if he's still alive, or whether or not Chan had any connection to the murder after the Chinese New Year parade. Jo gives up looking. Justified in-universe as the film refers often to the role of mystery and ambiguity in Chinese culture and how what is not seen is just as important as what is seen.

* SignificantName: "Chan" is an allusion to the Film/CharlieChan franchise, which was full of Western stereotyping and had a protagonist played in {{Yellowface}} by a white man. Leads to DoubleMeaningTitle, as while Chan Hung is missing from the movie, crude stereotypes like Charlie Chan are missing from this film.

* FilmNoir: The film eventually becomes this as Jo finds some evidence that Chan may have been involved with a murder that arose out of an argument between supporters of mainland China and supporters of Taiwan at a Chinatown parade. There's a gun, there's ominous music, there's a MysteryWoman who may be Chan's mistress. Jo becomes paranoid that he's being followed. He even gets a mysterious phone call telling him to stop asking questions about Chan. Subverted in the end when the mystery doesn't go anywhere and is never solved (see {{Anticlimax}} above).

* {{Allegory}}: Eventually it becomes clear that Chan is less an individual than a symbol for the Chinese-American community in all its variety.

* FilmNoir: The film eventually becomes this as Jo finds some evidence

* JumpCut:

* ThisIsReality: Near the end Jo encounters yet another acquaintance of Chan's. He says wryly that "If this were a TV mystery, an important clue would pop up at this time and clarify everything."