Film: "A Moment With You"

On Friday, I returned to my alma mater, the University of Alberta, for a film screening by California-based Wong Fu Productions.

Started by three Chinese Americans from San Diego, Wong Fu is famous for their internet-broadcasted music videos and short films, particularly the hilarious Yellow Fever. Their newest project, A Moment With You, is more serious, dealing with a group of lonely, soul-searching twenty-somethings and their quest for love. The filmmakers have been traveling the continent since early November, conducting screenings on campuses all over North America. Having just arrived from Calgary, they were set to fly to Toronto for another appearance the following night.

Held in Tory Lecture 11, site of one yawn-inducing educational technology course in my third year, it wasn't the most comfortable venue, but did serve its purpose. I neglected to bring my camera yesterday, or I would have snapped a few photos of proof, but it felt very odd to be in the company of so many other young Asians outside of Chinatown or a cultural celebration of some kind.

It was revealed that the budget for the movie was a mere $2000. While it was amazing that they managed to produce a full-length "feature" with such short purse strings, A Moment With You noticeably exposed its amateur roots in a number of areas.

The sound quality was awful, and in places, the dialogue was out of sync with the actors' lip movements, and seemed to have been dubbed. The acting was variable - Casey Hoffman, who played Dustin, a man still pining for his ex-girlfriend, was a dead weight ("Get off the screen, Eeyore!"). His character development was partly to blame (who wants to watch someone constantly moping and depressed?), but his line delivery was terrible as well; his responses were poorly timed, and often came off as canned. The clear standout was spunky Mimi Chao, who played the Holly Golightly-esque Alice, who masked her inner sadness with a carefree candor and infectious spontaneity. As in Breakfast at Tiffany's, she helped draw protagonist Arthur (Austen Chong) out of his shell and life of routine.

The script was by far the weakest aspect of the movie. The filmmakers stressed their desire to reflect reality, but the empty platitudes, clichés, and lines lifted from cheese platters sprinkled throughout induced eye rolls, grimaces, and even laughs. My friend commented an hour into the movie that, "This is worse than Laguna Beach."

What's interesting is that I didn't think I'd be so affected by seeing Chinese North Americans who were relatable not only in appearance, but more importantly, in culture as well, on film. It really was great to be represented on screen by those who could accurately mirror our experiences. I appreciated some of the in-jokes in the movie, understandable only by fellow "bananas."

Philip Wang and Wesley Chan, present representing Wong Fu, conducted a brief Q & A session following the screening. When asked what their next project would be, they talked about their commercial venture, Sketchbook Media, but did emphasize their passion for film. I wouldn't mind keeping track of their developments, in the hopes that they would continue to improve their work.

At any rate, I am now craving cereal.