There is growing interest by schools and universities in understanding Asian societies and cultures. One way of deepening this interest productively is through the imaginative use of cinema. In this article, the author explores how cinema can be a window into the dynamics of contemporary Asian societies and cultures. Through "aesthetic style...concomitant representational strategies, and preferred visual registers," the author suggests that films reveal the emotional relationships and political understandings of its characters and how they are affected by the "imperatives of historical events,...[offering] useful point[s] of departure for classroom discussions."