By Louis Chan, AsAmNews National Correspondent
Actress Lynn Chen makes her directorial debut with the release of I Will Make you Mine which opens the first virtual edition of CAAMfest tonight.
The movie will also be streamed on Apple TV plus beginning May 26.
It features Chen as Rachel who’s trying to negotiate life with a cheating husband, Josh (Mike Faiola). Her longtime friend Goh as played by Goh Nakamura comes back into her life when he moves to Los Angeles. At the same time Goh also reconnects with fellow musician Yea-Ming (Yea-Ming Chen) while also dealing with his own troubled relationship with Erika (Ayako Fujitani) and raising their daughter Sachiko (Ayami Riley Tomine).
All four lives will eventually intersect, causing some tension and romantic drama. The beginning of the movie feels like a day in the life glimpse at Rachel, Goh, Yea-Ming and Erika. With the exception of maybe Rachel, none of their stories seems interesting on their own. Until their lives intersect, the movie lacks any tension or drama for a good 45 minutes, more than half way through the 79 minute movie.
I Will Make you Mine is the final chapter in a trilogy which began with Surrogate Valentine in 2011 and the follow up, Daylight Savings (2012).
True confessions-this writer has not seen any of the previous movies, so perhaps my lack of vested interest in the characters could have something to do with that.
Still, if you can make it through the first 45 minutes, the ending says a lot about life, trust, fantasy and reality. Some may also find connections to their own life as we try to find that special someone and not always realize that someone is staring us in the face.
The movie also says something about living life on a road that has a lot of twists and turns. Often times we never get to where we intend to go, at least not in a straight line. It’s what makes life interesting and what made this movie worth watching. I just wish those twists and turns came earlier in the movie. I give this movie 2 1/2 stars on a four star scale.
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