Two Lies

Last updated
Two Lies
Directed by Pamela Tom
Written byPamela Tom
Produced byPamela Tom
StarringDian Kobayashi
Sala Iwamatsu
Marie Nakano
CinematographyGary Tieche
Edited byPamela Tom
Music byJames Leary
Distributed by Women Make Movies
Release date
  • March 28, 1990 (1990-03-28)
Running time
25 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Two Lies is a 1990 short film directed, produced and written by Pamela Tom and starring Dian Kobayashi, Sala Iwamatsu, and Marie Nakano. The film was shot in black and white and discusses issues like identity, Orientalism, and Blepharoplasty.

Contents

Plot

The plot of the film focuses on the life of a Chinese American family who struggles with identity. The mother, Doris Chu, has undergone blepharoplasty, or "double eyelid" surgery, and the oldest of two daughters, Mei, has trouble understanding her mother's actions. From her perspective, her mother's two new eyes are equivalent to two lies. On a trip to Cabot's Pueblo Museum off a dusty highway in Southern California, a series of confrontations occur and Mei finally realizes her mother's reasoning. Between the conflicts of Chinese tradition and American ways, the family tries to adapt to their new life in Southern California.

Cast

Extended Cast

Awards, Festivals, & Screenings

"Two Lies". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved April 29, 2013.

Related Research Articles

Doris Day American actress, singer, and animal rights activist (1922–2019)

Doris Day was an American actress, singer, and animal welfare activist. She began her career as a big band singer in 1939, achieving commercial success in 1945 with two No. 1 recordings, "Sentimental Journey" and "My Dreams Are Getting Better All the Time" with Les Brown & His Band of Renown. She left Brown to embark on a solo career and recorded more than 650 songs from 1947 to 1967.

Andie MacDowell American actress and model

Rosalie Anderson MacDowell is an American actress and former fashion model. She made her film debut in 1984's Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes and 1985's Brat Pack vehicle film St. Elmo's Fire before receiving critical acclaim for her role in Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989). It was for her performance in that film that she won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama. She also received Golden Globe nominations for her performances in Green Card (1990) and Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994).

Eva Marie Saint American actress (born 1924)

Eva Marie Saint is an American actress of film, theatre and television. In a career spanning over 70 years, she has won an Academy Award and a Primetime Emmy Award, alongside nominations for a Golden Globe Award and two British Academy Film Awards. Upon the death of Olivia de Havilland in 2020, Saint became the oldest living Academy Award winner and one of the last surviving stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema.

<i>Rabbit-Proof Fence</i> 2002 Australian drama film

Rabbit-Proof Fence is a 2002 Australian drama film directed and produced by Phillip Noyce based on the 1996 book Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence by Doris Pilkington Garimara. It is loosely based on a true story concerning the author's mother Molly, as well as two other Aboriginal girls, Daisy Kadibil and Gracie, who escape from the Moore River Native Settlement, north of Perth, Western Australia, to return to their Aboriginal families, after being placed there in 1931. The film follows the Aboriginal girls as they walk for nine weeks along 1,500 miles (2,400 km) of the Australian rabbit-proof fence to return to their community at Jigalong, while being pursued by white law enforcement authorities and an Aboriginal tracker. The film illustrates the official child removal policy that existed in Australia between approximately 1905 and 1967. Its victims now are called the "Stolen Generations".

Doris Roberts American actress (1925–2016)

Doris May Roberts was an American actress whose career spanned seven decades of television and film. She received five Emmy Awards and a Screen Actors Guild award during her acting career, which began in 1951.

<i>Secrets & Lies</i> (film) 1996 film by Mike Leigh

Secrets & Lies is a 1996 drama film written and directed by Mike Leigh. Led by an ensemble cast consisting of many Leigh regulars, it stars Marianne Jean-Baptiste as Hortense, a well-educated black middle-class London optometrist, who was adopted as a baby and has chosen to trace her family history – and discovers that her birth mother, Cynthia, played by Brenda Blethyn, is a working-class white woman with a dysfunctional family. Claire Rushbrook co-stars as Cynthia's other daughter Roxanne, while Timothy Spall and Phyllis Logan portray Cynthia's brother and sister-in-law, who have secrets of their own affecting their everyday family life.

<i>Swimming Pool</i> (2003 film) 2003 French film

Swimming Pool is a 2003 erotic thriller film directed by François Ozon and starring Charlotte Rampling and Ludivine Sagnier. The plot focuses on a British crime novelist, Sarah Morton, who travels to her publisher's upmarket summer house in Southern France to seek solitude in order to work on her next book. However, the arrival of Julie, who claims to be the publisher's daughter, induces complications and a subsequent crime. Both lead characters are bilingual, and the film's dialogue is a mixture of French and English.

Josephine Siao Fong-fong is a Hong Kong film star who became popular as a child actress and continued her success as a mature actress, winning numerous awards including Best Actress at the 45th Berlin International Film Festival. Since retiring from show business, she has become a writer and a psychologist, known for her work against child abuse.

<i>Ju-On: The Grudge</i> 2002 Japanese film

Ju-On: The Grudge is a 2002 Japanese horror film written and directed by Takashi Shimizu. It is the third installment in the Ju-On series and the first to be released theatrically. It stars Megumi Okina, Misaki Ito, Takashi Matsuyama, and Yui Ichikawa.

<i>The Joy Luck Club</i> (film) 1993 film by Wayne Wang

The Joy Luck Club is a 1993 American drama film about the relationships between Chinese-American women and their Chinese immigrant mothers. It was directed by Wayne Wang and stars Tsai Chin, Kieu Chinh, Lisa Lu, France Nuyen, Rosalind Chao, Lauren Tom, Tamlyn Tomita, and Ming-Na Wen. The film is based on the 1989 novel of the same name by Amy Tan, who co-wrote the screenplay with Ronald Bass. The film was produced by Bass, Tan, Wang and Patrick Markey while Oliver Stone served as an executive producer. Four older women, all Chinese immigrants living in San Francisco, meet regularly to play mahjong, eat, and tell stories. Each of these women has an adult Chinese-American daughter. The film reveals the hidden pasts of the older women and their daughters and how their lives are shaped by the clash of Chinese and American cultures as they strive to understand their family bonds and one another.

Sylvia Chang Musical artist

Sylvia Chang Ai-chia is a Taiwanese actress, writer, singer, producer and director. In 1992, she was a member of the jury at the 42nd Berlin International Film Festival. In 2018, she was one of the jury members of the main competition section at the 75th Venice International Film Festival.

<i>Postcards from the Edge</i> (film) 1990 film by Mike Nichols

Postcards from the Edge is a 1990 American comedy-drama film directed by Mike Nichols. The screenplay by Carrie Fisher is based on her 1987 semi-autobiographical novel of the same title. The film stars Meryl Streep, Shirley MacLaine, and Dennis Quaid.

<i>A Simple Life</i> 2011 Hong Kong film

A Simple Life, also known as Sister Peach, is a 2011 Hong Kong drama film directed by Ann Hui and starring Andy Lau and Deanie Ip. Ip, in the lead role of Sister Peach, won the Best Actress Award at the 68th Venice International Film Festival. Originally, Hui considered retiring after making this film. However, due to the film's success, she changed her mind and is considering other projects.

My Wedding and Other Secrets is a 2011 romantic comedy film directed by Roseanne Liang, written by Liang and Angeline Loo, and produced by South Pacific Pictures. The film is based on Liang's real-life cross-cultural romance.

<i>The Story of Yonosuke</i> 2013 Japanese film

A Story of Yonosuke is a 2013 Japanese film directed by Shūichi Okita. The theme song is called "Ima wo Ikite" and is performed by Asian Kung-Fu Generation.

Dolores Marquez Clark, better known by her screen name Lolita Rodriguez, was a multi-awarded actress in the Philippines. She was paired with Eddie Arenas in Gilda (1956), in which she won her first FAMAS Award for Best Actress. Rodriguez was born to an American father and Filipina mother.

Pamela Tom

Pamela Tom is a 5th generation Chinese American producer, director, and screenwriter. Her films often explore the Chinese experience in the Western world, social justice, feminism, and religion.

Mieke Wijaya Indonesian actress (1939–2022)

Miecke Marie De Rijder was an Indonesian actress and model who won three Citra Awards.

Sylvia Pasquel Mexican actress

Sylvia Pasquel is a Mexican actress.

References

Kleid, Beth (June 9, 1990). "Nary a Buddy Cop or Car Chase in UCLA Vision 1990 Festival : Movies: Student filmmakers show a willingness to go against the Hollywood grain". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 29, 2013.

Wang, Lee Ann (2010). "Films for the Feminist Classroom". Signs. Retrieved April 29, 2013.

"Two Lies". Women Make Movies. Retrieved 29 April 2013.