What a surprise to find 'Front Cover' in the public library. Few are the films that lift the tip of the cover of Asian America. We've seen Ang Lee's 'Pushing Hands' and 'Wedding Banquet'. Yet, Ray Yeung's 'Front Cover' brings us into the world of a hair stylist, Ryan Fu. Gay and as it puts it is a 'potato queen' (a gay Asian who likes whites), a top of the line stylist, who works for a domineering woman boss. Alone, he trolls the internet to hook up for one night stands. As the film opens, he is denied the front cover. A famous Chinese actor looking into the American market only wants a Chinese as stylist. And here's the key to the narrative, and clash of cultures. Ning appears as a spoiled peacock,surround by mostly a gaggle of female groupies; he plays with Ryan as though he were his toy; Ryan for his part will submit to Ning's and his boss' cutting his comb,his pride,his sense of self. Ning is emotionally unsure of himself, and openly gay Ryan existentially ups the emotion turbulence raging within him. A photographer slight makes the docile Ryan who so long has been treated badly throws his career to the wind and quits. Ning flees with Ryan, and the two, free from the restraints of work and career, drink and smoke weed, as though they had found a glen in the forest of Arden. Unexpectedly, Ryan's parents turn up unexpectedly the following morning, so that they as a family can go visit the family matriarch in a nursing home. Ryan's mother and father have accepted their son's homosexuality, and are reconciled to not seeing the family name Fu carried over to a future generation. It is apparent that Ryan and his parents have a loving, easy going relationship and the love they feel is palpable. Ryan's mother is surprised to see a Chinese man in her son's apartment. Drawing the wrong conclusions, although she speaks to her son in Cantonese, she switches to her Mandarin, begins to fuss, make tea and offer him moon cake that she was bringing to the grandmother. Ning apologizes for his rusty Cantonese, as the Fu and he settle into English. Mrs. Fu is happy that Ryan has finally found a Chinese soul mate. She tells Ning that when young her son was set upon by neighborhood bullies,how he would come to home with bruises and black eyes. And how sad she was that as working parents they couldn't better protect their only child. Ning hints he is in the closet to her;he cannot confess to his parents his true feelings. Mrs.Fu coaxes him to join the family as they journey by ferry to grandma's old age home. The trip is a standard device as a means of self discovery for Ryan and Ning. Ryan sees the love and the affection his father has for his wife as he rubs her back briefly, but affectionately during a scene of a Cantonese opera. I strongly suggest you see the film to see the bitter sweet ending: one during which Ryan overcomes his inferiority complex and fear of making bold decisions and affirms himself and the turmoil Ning has but soldiers forth to save his career. Yeung's script isn't without pitfalls but his direction is sure,his camera work professional. And what's more he opens us non Asians to an inner world we rarely see.
Review of Front Cover
