(02) - 21% SHORT FILM
Fully responsible as writer, director, and producer.
“21%” is a story about two sisters, Ren and June, reuniting with their distant father after the passing of their mother. However, the meeting does not go well. June takes her sister’s hand and runs away. Together, they enter a dream-like world where they find themselves in their childhood home in an alternative reality.
The title is inspired by a Chinese proverb that warns almost 80% of life does not go our way, therefore we should dwell on the 20% of the good parts. For me, this saying is an example of the pessimistic and reserved characteristics that are often tied to the Asian culture. I added the extra 1% to represent the what-ifs, desires, and hope for the things that we cannot control.
I finished the script in February 2022, and production started in March. The story is based on my own experiences with fictional details combined. As an only child, there were moments when I wished that I did not have to go through things alone, so in a way, the film is my “1%” of what-ifs. My main goal is to illustrate the bitter-sweet family dynamic and how that plays differently in an Asian-American community.
The look of the film that I envisioned is heavily inspired by Xavier Dolan and Wong Kar-Wai. I wanted to ensure that the cinematography and lighting play an important role in the story just as much as the acting and dialogue.