Change Your Image
schwartzmansteve
Reviews
Front Cover (2015)
Stylish contemporary "Roman Holiday"(ish) Gay Asian charmer
I first saw this movie at the Seattle International Film Festival with the cast and crew in attendance and was charmed. I asked the director if he was inspired by Audrey Hepburn and he responded, "what gay man isn't inspired by Audrey Hepburn???" Like "Roman Holiday," Actor James Chen's character Ning, travels to a distant city (New York) where he has a journey of self- discovery, inspired by Jake Choi's Ryan, a stylist for a fashion magazine.
I went back to see the movie at the Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival last night - with an appreciate audience and was caught in its spell again. The movie is a stylish tale of fashion, perfectly capturing the glamor of New York as Ryan is asked to style Ning for a fashion shoot. Ning, a young actor about to make his U.S. debut wants to present an image to the U.S. audience that is distinctly Chinese and insists on a Chinese stylist. Ryan is totally assimilated and disconnected from his Chinese identity (preferring French wine to sake). Through stops and starts, the men connect - as do the actors to their roles and each other. The movie stops to bring in Ryan's parents in a beautiful scene(s) that brings added heart to the movie.
A truly fashionable, stylish movie, about a young gay Asian man, learning about family, love, cultural identity in a delightful way. Sexy, heart warming and fun - and with a killer soundtrack!