Desultory lives of young Asian filmmakers in America frozen by covid

Two young Chinese expats and aspiring filmmakers drift apart when the pandemic strands her in Los Angeles and leaves him chasing his first feature in New York. Writer-director Yan Kunao, who also plays the lead, finds dry comedy in no-budget filmmaking and diaspora limbo. - Blurb.

Yan Kunao is a writer-director from China. He received his MFA in Directing from Columbia University. His short film, Summer Swing, premiered at Shanghai international Film Festival and was shortlisted to La Semaine de la Critique. His film, Before Leaving, was selected to the Kyiv International Film Festival. He was an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Columbia University. He’s co-produced film Jing Guo was selected to 74th Berlinale Film Festival. His first feature, Jet Lag in Summer, premiered at 9th Pingyao International Film Festival. The director got the idea for the film between 2020 and 2023 while trapped in China and unable to return to the United States to continue his studies. When he returned to New York he reshaped it, including other elements, such as experiences of racism

Like most minimal films Jet Lag in Summer is difficult to describe. A lot of scenes are shot in soulless apartments or hotel rooms, in New York City or Los Angeles. This is a story of missed connections - the girlfriend Jiaqi (Chen Shuyao) and boyfriend Pingu (he played by the filmmaker, Yan Kunao), both film school graduates in New York, the girlfriend later stuck in L.A. by covid on her way back to Beijing for a job to satisfy her family. She has a sketchy - literally, doing sketches - relationship with a young women who's employed in housekeeping, who then disappears. Then Pingu (Yan Kunao) appears in L.A. and rejoins his girlfriend, riding in the back of a car on the freeway.

Along the way there are several episodes of male drunkenness. There's a Korean character, and while two women are drinking soju, they agree to a love of Korean auteur Hong Sang-soo, whose films have long been regularly included in the Main Slate of the New York Film Festival. There's a "famous" young Korean actress woven into the action for a while, as well as a South American one.

Yan takes pleasure in depicting the film school grad life. There's the guy who in describing his planned film names every European director he likes as a model who will shape his film. There's an acting class where pairs of students stand up and repeat the same simple lines of dialogue to each other over and over. Pingu says Edward Yang's Yi Yi is his favorite film (certainly a superb choice). Most people wear T shirts, and a casual, desultory way of speaking prevails. This doubtless accurately captures the mood and style of a generation of Asians in the US of somewhat derailed expectations. Letterboxd shows that it has hit the spot for some young viewers.

Jet Lag in Summer 八九点钟 ("Around eight or nine o'clock"), 90 mins., international premiere Udine Feb. released in the US on the internet Mar. 1, 2025. Screened for this review as part of the NYAFF. Showtime:
Screening + Q&A
with Yan Kunao
Thursday, July 23
3:00 PM

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©Chris Knipp. Blog: http://chrisknipp.blogspot.com/.