Immigration in reverse is depicted in the movie, Shanghai Calling. Starring Daniel Henney, Eliza Coupe, and Zhu Zhu, this film portrays people moving to China from America. Instead of a China Town in New York City, there is an America Town in Shanghai.
One immigrant, however, arrived not by his own free will. An ambitious lawyer was sent to China to promote a law firm based in New York City. The lawyer, played by Daniel Henney, brought with him archaic views of China, only to be dispelled by the 21st century globalized reality.
The romantic comedy couples the lawyer with an American woman, played by Eliza Coupe. This American ran away from a marriage, with her daughter to a place where she does speak the language.
The lawyer’s assistant, played by Zhu Zhu, shows the fierce determination to advance in the world, minus the need to move to another country. Her character finds peace with the Chinese traditions while yet rising in her career.
The lawyer however takes the whole 1 hour and 38 minute film to learn the value of integrity and family.
The film, Shanghai Calling is family worthy. Although the romantic aspect was cheesy, at least it was clean. It cleverly exposed how human beings can dream up presumptions and scenarios that rarely reflect reality. An element of people helping people can also be appreciated.
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