A food critic, struggling with bulimia, and parental pressure to get married. An actress, seeking escape from a loveless marriage through an affair. A prostitute, attempting to leave the life behind, only to be consistently pulled back by her step-mother. Three women. Three separate lives, all of which become intertwined in ways that they don’t initially realize. How so? Watch the movie and find out.
Based on a short story, In A New York Minute is a quiet, meditative drama about love, duty, and the pressures put on women by family and society at large. I never would have heard of it if not for a facebook post from a friend, and I am so glad that I decided to attend the screening. This film’s performances are top notch, and the fact that it’s a movie directed, written, and starring Asian American women is wonderful. It’s also inspiring to see a young filmmaker, fresh out of college, getting the chance to make a feature-length movie with established actors. (Ludi Lin, of Power Rangers and Aquaman fame, and Pei-Pei Chang, from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, both appear in this flick).
Now, with that said, I should be clear and say that this film is something of an acquired taste. It doesn’t follow a traditional three-act structure, and it ends very inconclusively. By the time the credits roll, you’re left wondering what’s happened to the three heroines. Has the actress left her husband? Has the food critic overcome her bulimia? Did the prostitute… well, I won’t finish that question, because that would be a spoiler. But, needless to say, her fate is left fairly unclear as well. On top of this, because the film tackles three separate stories, the lead characters aren’t super well fleshed out. For instance, we don’t know certain things about their pasts, like, how did the actress and her husband meet? What caused them to drift apart? Etc. I’m not saying that we need to know everything about these people to care about them, and the director does a good job of conveying each of these women’s frustrations with life. Still, a little more information would have been appreciated. All I’m trying to say is, this is a movie that will play best to arthouse and independent film lovers. Even so, I think it is worth watching for its humor, its direction, the fact that it’s directed by, and starring, Asian American women, and especially for the performances of the three leads, Yi Liu, Celia Au, and Amy Chang. All are extremely talented, and all deserve the chance to be in bigger projects. If this film is playing at a festival near you, or is on a streaming service, don’t hesitate to give it a look.
liusviews 