Synopsis

In Dragon City, Maximus Zhang (Vihn Nguyen) is a rebellious, college dropout who struggles to create his own artistic identity and maintain the turbulent bond with his mother after an estrangement of a family member. His wildly loving, strong-willed mom, Katherine Zhang (Serene Lee) works at both her accounting firm and the restaurant, Dragon City, to keep bills paid. With two-generational differences living in the same house, they only want to find balance in their own lives and make peace with each other. Dragon City defines the deep humanity of character through each of the Zhang family’s individual goals, relationships, and needs. 

A Different Kind of Asian American Narrative

Before the film Crazy Rich Asians, it has been more than 25 years since a major feature film has seen a full Asian cast without the need for basic Asian stereotypes like the martial arts masters, the colored hairstreak rebel, and the quiet bookish nerd. Dragon City is an homage to the 1993’s The Joy Luck Club and emphasizes the struggle with what first-generation Asian Americans and their immigrant parents deal with every day.