Front Cover
Written and Directed by Ray Yeung
Released May 28, 2015
Drama
87 min.
Review by Stephen O. Murray
October 23, 2016.
Given how central to the plot Ryan being Chinese (American born) is in Front Cover, it’s puzzling that the actor portraying him, Jake Choi, is obviously of Korean descent (in their first meeting, his client, rising Chinese movie star Ning [James Chen] remarks that he doesn’t “look Chinese”).
Initially, having difficulty distinguishing “Ryan” from “Lion” (and asking for sake in a French restaurant), I wondered if Ning was Japanese, but James Chen is of Chinese descent and spoke some Cantonese and some Mandarin. (If a white writer was responsible for imposing the l/r confusion on a Chinese character, he would be excoriated. What can it mean for a Chinese-American writer to do it?)
I found the script rather contrived, especially the evaporation of the Chinese movie star’s female entourage and, to some lesser extent, Ning’s appreciation of the confidences from Ryan’s mother about his having been bullied as a child. Apart from not looking Chinese and not being able to speak any Chinese language, James Choi was very good as the fashionista who had fought to be gay, though fighting against being identified as Chinese/Asian.
Ning is proudly Chinese, fighting against being seen as gay. He has career reasons (fans’ fantasies) to pass as straight, though he lunges at Ryan when a white guy on the dance floor is putting moves on Ryan. Oh yes, another difficult to credit contrivance is that the two pass out for the night from sharing one joint.
Similarly, I don’t see anything compromising in the photos invisible paparazzi shoot and publish of Ning with Ryan on Staten Island (where Ryan’s grandmother lives). They went on to a night of lovemaking, shown in a rapid collage in which it is impossible to tell who is doing what to whom. (In an earlier attempted online hookup, Ryan claimed to be a “top.”)
Producer/writer/director Ray Yeung (Cut Sleeve Boys) did not impose the expected happy ending. I’d say it’s “rueful,” like that of Lilting.
©2016 by Stephen O. Murray
