Plot
Jenny is a young Korean-American woman and aspiring photographer who was adopted by a white family as a child. As an adult, she lives in Manhattan and is estranged from her Midwestern family because of a childhood incident with her brother, Joe. She spends most of her days in the presence of white friends and colleagues, in addition to casual flings with white men that never develop into actual relationships.
When Jenny is kicked out of the apartment she shares with her roommate, she moves in with Beatrice Shimizu, a beautiful but insecure model and college student. She also meets graphic artist Simon Chang, who lives next door with his sister Sandy, a socially awkward nursing student. Initially, Jenny has difficulty bonding with Bea and Simon because she is not as connected to her Asian-American identity as they are. Jenny learns to help Bea, who struggles with her own self-esteem issues and has to deal with her philandering boyfriend, Phillip. Jenny also tries to help Sandy overcome her shyness, and opens herself to the possibility of a relationship with Simon. In return, Simon and Bea encourage Jenny's interest in photography. When Joe shows up out of the blue, Jenny must confront her unresolved feelings about her upbringing and her Asian-American identity.
Critical reception
Benjamin Spacek of Las Vegas Weekly gave a positive review, awarding it 4/4 stars. He wrote, "It’s a sullen and moody work...it's also elegant and touching." [14] Spacek continued, "Using gorgeous location photography in tandem with an evocative soundtrack, Dietrich gives the film a lyrical quality, as we drift in and out of Jenny’s dreams. The deeper we dig, though, the more we find her fears and desires are universal. It’s a personal and unique vision, but it is no longer alone." [14] Reviewing the film for Variety , critic Dennis Harvey called the film "thoughtful" and said although its themes feel underdeveloped, its "virtues outweigh its flaws." [15] Harvey added, "Character writing and situations could have been taken to the next level in terms of emotional impact, though what’s here is still reasonably engrossing and poignant. If pic doesn’t ultimately match its own thematic ambition and dramatic potential, it still makes a fresh, credible impression." [15]
Writing for the Asia Pacific Arts magazine, Ada Tseng commented, "Dietrich has constructed a film that is not afraid to leave things murky and barely hopeful; the past keeps haunting, mistakes keep being made, and things that seem simple that may promote growth and healing may or may not work out." [8] Tseng added, "Jiang carries the film with a compelling performance throughout while dealing with taboo subjects; Kim is nervously fragile and heartbreaking as the perfect-on-the-outside girl who might fall apart at any second; and the third female character, Sandy, provides some comic relief as a shy little sister who is learning how to speak up for herself and demand respect." [8]
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