‘Combination Platter’

With humor and poignancy, feature debut filmmaker Tony Chan pulls us into the uncertain everyday life of an illegal immigrant, a diffident Chinese waiter (Jeff Lau, pictured) in a Chinese restaurant in Queens, N.Y. There are some awkward, self-conscious moments in this 1993 release, but few films explore the need for cultural identity in creating an unconscious racism so thoroughly--and with such a subtle touch (Cinemax Wednesday at 8 p.m.).