Who Killed Vincent Chin? (1988) is a documentary made by Christine Choy and Renee Tajima regarding the brutal murder of Chinese-American engineer, Vincent Chin, and the aftermath of the first judicial decision of the incident. His murderers, Ronald Ebens and Ebens’ stepson, Michael Nitz, faced minimal repercussions (3 years probation and $3700 fine) for clubbing the young man to death after a verbal altercation at a Detroit bar & strip-club.
The documentary allows Ronald Ebens and his wife and friends and Vincent Chin’s mother, Lily Chin, and her supporters to express personal interpretations and perspectives. However, the filmmakers’ intention to advocate against racial discrimination in predominantly ‘white’ America is highlighted in their …show more content…
Assuming the audience has little to no knowledge of the case, the beginning is vague and confusing. However, the entire plot and purpose of the film is understood once the ending is watched. For example, the audience realizes one of the men in suits (at the beginning) is Ronald Ebens walking away a free man after witnessing his personal testimony at the end. They also recognize the picture of an Asian woman to be of Lily Chin, Vincent’s mother. The relationship becomes apparent when the woman in the picture calls Vincent her son while pleading the American people to continue fighting for justice. Although neither the beginning nor the end explicitly states the Court’s decision declaring Ebens innocent, the outcome becomes obvious by the multiple testimonies featured in them.
The title of the film, Who Killed Vincent Chin? does not investigate the identity of Vincent’s killer. It is a rhetorical question that asks the audience to ponder on the forces responsible for the death of an innocent man. Christine Choy and Renee Tajima consider many possible aspects including economic pressure, underlying racism, reliability of the justice system and involvement of the Asian community. Whether justice was truly served is left for the viewers to
The documentary allows Ronald Ebens and his wife and friends and Vincent Chin’s mother, Lily Chin, and her supporters to express personal interpretations and perspectives. However, the filmmakers’ intention to advocate against racial discrimination in predominantly ‘white’ America is highlighted in their …show more content…
Assuming the audience has little to no knowledge of the case, the beginning is vague and confusing. However, the entire plot and purpose of the film is understood once the ending is watched. For example, the audience realizes one of the men in suits (at the beginning) is Ronald Ebens walking away a free man after witnessing his personal testimony at the end. They also recognize the picture of an Asian woman to be of Lily Chin, Vincent’s mother. The relationship becomes apparent when the woman in the picture calls Vincent her son while pleading the American people to continue fighting for justice. Although neither the beginning nor the end explicitly states the Court’s decision declaring Ebens innocent, the outcome becomes obvious by the multiple testimonies featured in them.
The title of the film, Who Killed Vincent Chin? does not investigate the identity of Vincent’s killer. It is a rhetorical question that asks the audience to ponder on the forces responsible for the death of an innocent man. Christine Choy and Renee Tajima consider many possible aspects including economic pressure, underlying racism, reliability of the justice system and involvement of the Asian community. Whether justice was truly served is left for the viewers to