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In Georgia Lee’s feature
directorial debut, we meet the Wongs. They are keeping up appearances as
the model Chinese-American family living a blissful existence in suburban
New York. Upon closer examination we find that Ed Wong (Tzi
Ma, The Ladykillers, The Quiet American, Rush Hour), his devoted wife
May-Li (Freda Foh Shen, Mulan, A Mighty Wind),
and their three overachieving daughters are in fact a rather bizarre
family living disconnected lives. |
Samantha
(Jacqueline Kim, Charlotte Sometimes, Volcano) is the eldest and most
accomplished of the Wong sisters. She’s an ambitious businesswoman who is
just weeks away from her “dream” wedding with Mark (Jayce Bartok, The
Station Agent), an equally successful young man whose main concern is the
seating arrangement. The middle sister, Julie (Elaine Kao), is a shy and
sheltered medical student whose life is turned upside down when she falls
for Mia Scarlett (Mia Riverton), a movie star who is researching a role at
the hospital. The youngest daughter, Katie (Kathy Shao-Lin Lee), is a
precocious and disaffected high school senior engaged in an elaborate and
dangerous war of practical jokes with her neighbor Simon (Sebastian
Stan). The sisters bicker over weekly family dinners with their detached
father and their overbearing mother.
Eventually the Wongs’ façade begins to crumble under the
weight of denial, miscommunication, and collective neuroses. Samantha
rekindles a relationship with her ex-boyfriend (Rossif Sutherland,
Timeline); Julie grapples with the repercussions of her newfound feelings
for Mia; Katie risks life and limb to get even with her nemesis; and Ed
runs away to a Buddhist monastery to cope with his existential crisis.
Red Doors addresses some of the most primal, sacred, and universal bonds
that connect parents and children, creating a contemporary portrait of an
American family. |