There's something captivating, and indeed - magical, about martial arts. The fascination with this ancient art is event simply by looking at the stream of movies flowing out of Hollywood, from the trend-setting The Matrix to the fun but campy Charlie's Angels.

So why does it seem like no one has yet produced a truly moving and personal documentary on martial arts?

Shaolin Ulysses: Kungfu Monks in America is just such a documentary. Produced and directed by Martha Burr and Mei-Juin Chen, the film follows the odyssey of five Shaolin kungfu monks who immigrated to the U.S. during the 1990s. Their stories are personal, authentic, and captivating. And notably, the experiences and insights are often surprising, something which can't easily be said of a genre that has been used, overused, and cliched for decades in film and TV.

For insights into the film, check out AsianConnections' interview with filmmaker Martha Burr.