I’ve been wanting to see director Patrick Chen’s A Father’s Son: A Detective Jack Yu Investigation, since I first heard about it in 2019. The new shortfilm is adopted from the work of author Henry Chang’s Detective Jack Yu novel series, crowdfunded via Kickstarter and following production, subsequently became the recipient of ceremony at numerous festival audiences since its virtual premiere in Oregon last year.
The most standout and alluring aspect about this shortfilm is its asthetics. A Father’s Son: A Detective Jack Yu Investigation immediately immerses you in 1990s New York City. The costumes, set designs and pieces bring coherence to Chen’s apt treatment of a story to compliment the powerful performances of its cast, led by actor and comedian Ronny Chieng, as well as a rich and substantive script by Chen and co-writers Eddie Shieh and the aforementioned Chang who exec produces. Be ready for typewriters and rotary phones, kids!
The story begins when a violent gangland murder offsets an investigative story that sees our protagonist struggling to make a break in the case. As a Chinese-American cop who also served in the armed forces, Detective Yu is forced to ride the fence between two worlds, neither of which really sees him as an equal. Though requisite as he makes his way through Chinatown asking questions, it’s not a huge help when he flashes his badge, although eventually he’s able to connect when he manages to contact the victim’s family. Tragedy and trauma take center stage in the film’s final act as the family learns the truth of what happened. The moment ensues an emotional outpour that drives home the central narrative that Chen aims for, with a gripping performance by celebrated actor Tzi Ma who continues to be a national goddamm treasure. I said what I said, and the same goes for the venerable Perry Yung who appears earlier in the film as Yu’s father.
The transcedant message is clear in Chen’s A Father’s Son: A Detective Jack Yu Investigation, universal to its topical delivery in exploring the imminent pain and loss of migrant parents who come to America for a better life for their children, only to succumb to the undertow of a raft of unnerving societal ills that only give rise to cultural and community turmoil, and the loss of one’s sense of self. It’s a gutting look at one of the darkest pictures in recent American history, with a title performance by Chieng that brings emotive clarity to a complex character with more than his own set of woes.
Also of note is the significance of a production like this, per the words of Chang whose inspiration for the novels was to put a human face on the diaspora of Asian mirants living in America. While the core story is set in the 1990s, its precursor dates back to the 70s when the plight and suffering of Chinatown residents was at its highest due to gang violence, racism and upheaval. Resultantly, as the shortfilm was shot before the stranglehold of Covid-19 landed in the U.S. Spring 2020 and post-produced in the following year, it is far from coincidental that this brutality is firmly echoed from reality, specifically given the final year nailing the coffin on Donald Trump’s presidency, in which acts of stochastic terrorism and vicious hate crimes against the AAPI community surged after months of ginned-up xenophobic outrage emboldening most hateful fringes of the country.
Of course, this effect was global, although I can only and mainly speak for America. Concordantly, there is simply no escaping the residual and concurrent ugliness that otherwise contextualizes and further foundates the importance of stories like these. Alas, I couldn’t care less what people feel about a film review that tangentially addresses the all too-real consequences acceding the leadership of my country to the wills of our now twice-impeached and twice-arrested former President.
At the end of the day though, what matters is that Chen and his team deliver one of the most enriching and enthralling tales I’ve ever seen adapted for the screen. When it was over, I immediately wanted more, and all there was in the aftermath was a mid-credits scene in which Detective Yu sits for a meal with a rookie newly transfered to his precinct.
I’m taking the film and television industry to task in assuring that the screenlife of Chang’s beloved literary detective protagonist gets an extension beyond just twenty-five minutes. Dare I say, there’s more to be told after A Father’s Son: A Detective Jack Yu Investigation, which is now online as of Sunday in celebration of Father’s Day, and I’ll be hard-pressed to believe that no one else feels the same as I do when the end credits roll.
This story deserves more. Watch the hopeful beginnings of it in the player below, and follow the film on social media.
