Independent cinema has long been enamored with the coming-of-age story. Especially for early career filmmakers, the rough road from adolescence to some semblance of adulthood offers the ultimate hero’s journey — mired in unexpected obstacles both external and within. There’s another reason so many first-time filmmakers choose this narrative path: they’re usually quite close to it themselves.
In her scrappy feature debut “Inbetween Girl,” writer/director Mei Makino shows small town America through the experience of a biracial Chinese American teenager as she navigates first love, sexuality, family upheaval, and artistic ambitions. With so many irons in the fire, “Inbetween Girl” bites off more than it can chew, and the amateur cast does it no favors, but it is
The saving grace of “Inbetween Girl” is its boisterous, sarcastic, and amiable protagonist, sixteen-year-old Angie Chen, who is brought to life by a naturalistic performance from newcomer Emma Galbraith.
In her scrappy feature debut “Inbetween Girl,” writer/director Mei Makino shows small town America through the experience of a biracial Chinese American teenager as she navigates first love, sexuality, family upheaval, and artistic ambitions. With so many irons in the fire, “Inbetween Girl” bites off more than it can chew, and the amateur cast does it no favors, but it is
The saving grace of “Inbetween Girl” is its boisterous, sarcastic, and amiable protagonist, sixteen-year-old Angie Chen, who is brought to life by a naturalistic performance from newcomer Emma Galbraith.
- 5/3/2022
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
Writer-director Mei Makino explores biracial identity in the coming-of-age film “Inbetween Girl,” which won the Visions Award at SXSW 2021. The film will be released by Utopia on demand May 3. Below, IndieWire shares the exclusive trailer.
Newcomer Emma Galbraith stars as Angie Chen, a teen artist who is secretly hooking up with popular jock Liam (William Magnuson). While Angie starts having sex — and endures the awkwardness of losing her virginity — Liam starts flirting with her classmates.
Angie vlogs diary entries to get through her parents’ divorce and grapple with the fact that there are few things in her control. Throwing another wrench into Angie’s problems is the fact that her Chinese father starts to date a Chinese woman with the “perfect” archetypal Chinese-American daughter, someone that Angie feels like she can never be since she is half white.
“With our partnership with Utopia, I sincerely hope ‘Inbetween Girl’ finds its...
Newcomer Emma Galbraith stars as Angie Chen, a teen artist who is secretly hooking up with popular jock Liam (William Magnuson). While Angie starts having sex — and endures the awkwardness of losing her virginity — Liam starts flirting with her classmates.
Angie vlogs diary entries to get through her parents’ divorce and grapple with the fact that there are few things in her control. Throwing another wrench into Angie’s problems is the fact that her Chinese father starts to date a Chinese woman with the “perfect” archetypal Chinese-American daughter, someone that Angie feels like she can never be since she is half white.
“With our partnership with Utopia, I sincerely hope ‘Inbetween Girl’ finds its...
- 4/13/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Romcoms have long been a staple of the American high school fantasy, but what happens when high school is actually kind of… messy? Mei Makino’s debut feature “Inbetween Girl” presents a raw coming-of-age drama revolving around Angie Chen (Emma Galbraith), a bluntly unapologetic Chinese-Caucasian high school student. Her tough facade begins to falter, however, when things start to spin out of control. Her white mother seems inattentive at home; her Chinese father moves on to the dream Chinese American family; and her crush, school heartthrob Liam (William Magnuson), starts to whisper sweet-nothings in her ear while dating the school’s most popular girl, Sheryl (Emily Garrett). “Inbetween Girl” grapples with the growing pains of a soul-searching outsider pit in an existential maelstrom amid the picturesque East End of Galveston, Texas.
“Inbetween Girl” will play at SXSW, and perhaps no festival would have been a better fit for this Texas native.
“Inbetween Girl” will play at SXSW, and perhaps no festival would have been a better fit for this Texas native.
- 3/19/2021
- by Grace Han
- AsianMoviePulse
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