In celebration of Asian Heritage Month, I’ve made a list of the best Asian movies you can watch for free online. With the recent release and success of “Crazy Rich Asians” and “Parasite”, Asian representation in movies is at an all-time high. The criteria used to make this list include:
- The movie must be free to watch legally.
- Movies produced in Asian countries
- American movies are accepted if the majority of the cast members are of Asian descent.
- Although major streaming websites (Netflix, Amazon Prime, Crave, etc.) have free trials and have a good number of Asian movies, they’re not counted.
There will be glaring omissions including the 2 movies already mentioned, simply because they’re not free or because I haven’t watched them.
Get your digital library card here, if you don’t already have one. You will need it to access Kanopy and Hoopla.
Note: To be honest I’m biased towards genre movies (sci-Fi, horror, action), whether or not it stands the test of time, and repetitive viewing.
#15 Scent Of Green Papaya
Vietnamese | Drama | English Subtitles | Watch It On Kanopy
A coming of age story with hardly any dialogue, it’s still riveting to watch. It’s like watching art and poetry coming together into film.
[imdb style=”navy”]tt0107617[/imdb]
#14 Picture Bride
Japanese | Drama | English Subtitles | Watch It On Hoopla
[imdb style=”navy”]tt0114129[/imdb]
#13 Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
Chinese | Action/Drama | English Subtitles | Watch It On CTV
Action, drama, romance, it works on so many ways. Great acting by the cast and a martial arts movie with heart and soul.
[imdb style=”navy”]tt0190332[/imdb]
#12 Kung Fu Hustle
Chinese | Action/Comedy/Fantasy | English Subtitles | Watch It On Hoopla
Making fun of its own genre, this movie is hilarious and action fans will be entertained.
[imdb style=”navy”]tt0373074[/imdb]
#11 Old Boy
Korean | Action/Drama/Mystery | English Subtitles | Watch It On Hoopla
Oldboy is violent, very violent but don’t let that interfere from watching it. It has more to offer than action and violence, its a lesson about consequences from our actions, the need to get revenge and get the truth.
[imdb style=”navy”]tt0364569[/imdb]
