Straitlaced optometrist Weichung is finding the typical married life difficult, as his wife, Feng, unfulfilled by her white‐walled office job and spurred on by her mother, pushes him for a second child. Then he bumps into an old friend from his gay past, setting off an unexpected array of dormant emotions. Meanwhile, his sister Mandy flees her sad sack fiancé San‐San, coping via comfort food and the fantastical appearance of a soap opera star on her couch. Arvin Chen’s sophomore feature is a fresh and playful comedy about the brave fronts put forward in the search for a satisfying family life and job. Whimsy is never far from this story, both through the appropriately sappy soundtrack and several dream‐like touches: not just a soap opera star, but one character whose retirement is symbolized by his magical floating away on an umbrella and a breakout karaoke sequence reinforced by the title Shirelles song. Outstanding performances by Richie Ren and singer Mavis Fan as the central married couple help Chen find a true emotional core, especially in the heartrending moment when Feng realizes the truth about her husband’s dalliances, inspiring a charming look at what happens in a traditional society when you seek a big change.

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In Roberta's dream, she is trudging through the streets of Santiago, Chile carrying her bed on her back, having lost everything. In reality, she has a young son; an ex—the boy's father—who still adores her; a girlfriend, Javiera, who operates a “post pornography” website; and among other family members, a mother, Ana, whose disapproval she's come to expect. When she comes out to her mom, the older woman's reaction is predictably negative, which only encourages Roberta to bring her mother and her girlfriend together on a day‐long sailing trip. Trapped together on the open water, the three women have no choice but to talk to one another, even as they discover just how impossible communication sometimes is. Gorgeously shot, briefly erotic, writer/director Constanza Fernández's intimate drama touches on many things, including the challenges of coming out in a repressive society, the politics of sexual representation, and Chile's dark history and the tragic legacy of its “desaparecidos.” Mostly it is about the difficulty of relationships, whether between lovers or parent and child; how easy it is to hear but how hard it is to listen; and how difficult it is to understand and be understood. Roberta opens a Pandora's box with this voyage, as the woman who demands honesty from her lover and her mother finds out how hard it is to be honest, even with herself.

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Join us for a program of shorts exploring the older LGBT experience.

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