Justin Lin Reflects onBetter Luck Tomorrow'sImpact 20 Years Later

Director Justin Lin's 2003 indie film Better Luck Tomorrow, a crime story about Asian American high school students leading secret lives of petty crime in Orange County, California, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. The film, which premiered at Sundance in 2002 and grossed $3 million at the box office, opened doors for Lin to make larger-than-life stories, including several installments in the blockbuster Fast & Furious franchise.

Better Luck Tomorrow is considered a key part of the American Indiewood boom and the wider canon of Asian American cinema. The film presents a nuanced and sincere portrayal of Asian American adolescent males, challenging the "model minority" stereotype that has haunted Asian Americans for generations. Lin reflects, "What the film did was not only present an opportunity to grow as a filmmaker, but after all these years, it's protected me. Any time I feel like I might be veering off, I think back to this experience. Because it was very pure."

The movie, informed by young adult anxieties at the dawn of the new millennium, including the Columbine and 9/11 tragedies and the rapid rise of the internet, presents a complex and multidimensional portrayal of Asian American identity. Lin, who was raised in working-class Buena Park, California, says, "When I was growing up in the 80s, a lot of it was about assimilation, finding yourself in the assimilation of being American... In doing that, there were a lot of rules that weren't equal to everybody. I think it creates this schizophrenic way of dealing with life."

Better Luck Tomorrow was made on a production budget of approximately $250,000, with Lin funding his sophomore film with maxed-out credit cards and emptied-out life savings. A last-minute transfer of $10,000 from rap artist MC Hammer helped the film reach completion. The movie's success caught the attention of Universal, leading to Lin's involvement in the Star Trek franchise. His films, including Fast Five, Fast & Furious 6, and Star Trek Beyond, have grossed a combined $3 billion worldwide.

Two decades after its release, Better Luck Tomorrow remains a groundbreaking film in Asian American representation in Hollywood. The movie's sincere and multidimensional portrayal of Asian American identity paved the way for Justin Lin's successful career as a filmmaker, allowing him to bring larger-than-life stories to the big screen while staying true to his roots and interview.