Noir November: Chan is Missing
Written by Cameron Geiser
Every day for the month of November, Cameron Geiser is reviewing a noir film (classic or neo) for Noir November. Today covers the comedy-drama film Chan is Missing.
Of all the Noir films I considered for this month, this was the most pleasant surprise of the bunch. Wayne Wang’s indie film from 1982 borrows heavily from the structure and general atmosphere of classic Hollywood Noirs, but maintains its own distinct style throughout the runtime. Shot in black and white for a budget reportedly around $20,000 on the streets of San Francisco, Chan is Missing should be commended for injecting so much personality into the film given the circumstances. The film follows Jo (Wood Moy) and his nephew Steve (Marc Hayashi), two Cabbies in San Francisco who are looking for their mutual friend, the titular Chan, but also because he owes them $4,000.
This is one of those films that fully immerses itself in a real time and place in the world. Our protagonists weave through heavy traffic as they go about all the places and spaces that Chan frequented, and to meet with those he knew too. The picture we get of Chan is one that’s ever evolving as the story unfolds. Wang wisely uses Chan as a tool to understand the different perspectives, motivations, and intentions of both Chan and the larger Chinese American community at large.
Chan is Missing.
It also helps that both Jo and Steve don’t think that Chan intentionally stole the money, they seek him out of curiosity rather than vengeance. Thus their leisurely and inquisitive search doesn’t feel too pressured to move at break-neck speed for the lost funds, they’d rather find out the where and why of Chan’s disappearance. While they do receive the money at the end, they still don’t know what exactly happened to him. The different accounts from various members of the community, while informative in helping paint a broader picture of Chan, don’t ultimately point to a resolution, or to any real answers.
The machinations of the plot aren’t really what the film is about anyways. It’s about all of the colorful personalities that Jo and Steve encounter during their search for Chan. One of the most memorable people Jo and Steve encounter is the singing cook Henry (Peter Wang). He’s a playful presence that gulps down tall glasses of milk while stir-frying sweet-and-sour pork, wrapped in a “Samurai Night Fever” t-shirt, and making his best attempts at Sinatra’s “Fly me to the Moon”. The whole film is filled with such people, and it’s the highlight of the production.
Wang intentionally obfuscates audiences by initially putting our two leads where it can be a bit difficult to see and hear them. Here Wang’s crafting experiences that are not unlike what many immigrants go through when settling in America, trying to navigate a new society with different rules and norms. Confusion crafted by choice to assimilate the viewer into the lived experiences of expatriates. Many aspects of the movie touch on this note, that not everything is as it seems. Ironically, things are not so black and white. The film often presents viewpoints of the Chinese American culture that clash with each other, that are not so easy to blend- and yet that is the point of the film. Showcasing the complexities of the Chinese American community in all its forms, leaving no stone unturned. We also get a little extra slice of character knowledge from Jo too, as we get his voiceover throughout the film as well. His musings often fill in the gap and give more of a Noir sensibility to the proceedings as well.
While Jo and Steve never do find out what happened to Chan, ultimately he is an enigma. Even the ending maintains this uncertainty, with Jo’s last line referring to a polaroid of Chan they got earlier where his face is obscured, “Here's a picture of Chan Hung, but I still can't see him.” This film has been recently added to the Criterion Collection over this last summer and I highly encourage you to check it out. It’s a charming, surprisingly funny, and fascinating little slice of life film that utilizes classical Hollywood tropes to tell a story worth hearing.
Cameron Geiser is an avid consumer of films and books about filmmakers. He'll watch any film at least once, and can usually be spotted at the annual Traverse City Film Festival in Northern Michigan. He also writes about film over at www.spacecortezwrites.com.