A multiverse of appeal

Quan says that, since his return to the profession, he has noticed that there are a lot more Asian actors getting leading roles in feature films. "What's been happening in the last few years with Asian representation is really inspiring, and I am very optimistic about it going forward."

Calling this movie "an indie film with blockbuster ambition", director Kwan says he's keen to give Asians more screen time. "My parents emigrated here before I was born, so it's very easy for us to imagine how to write this."

He adds that while there are many people who can relate to that, the goal was to reflect what life was like for the cast.

However, the theme is a universal one, according to the other director, Scheinert. "The multiverse is a fun concept, but when you take it to a logical conclusion, when you take it to infinity, stories break down, the whole movie falls apart, what if we did a multiverse but the movie is distorted?"

"Can you make a movie about meaninglessness?" interjects Kwan. "Can we bring it back and make it something awesome?"

Scheinert retorts: "We have to try."

Judging by the warm reception the movie received on its opening night, the Daniels have succeeded.

One audience member told the cast that he found the movie "incredibly insane and fun" and will watch it again. Another festival attendee said, "I cried and I laughed a lot", because it "transcends generational trauma" and "draws out such a painful thing into such a beautiful story".

The Daniels credit the crew for its success, especially with two iconic Hollywood leading ladies, Jamie Lee Curtis and Michelle Yeoh, joining the team.

Calling Yeoh a goddess, Curtis says she accepted the role purely because "I got to act the opposite of Michelle Yeoh, all of my scenes are with her".

Yeoh adds that Curtis empowered her "to be fearless and to do crazy things", noting that "the two of us had a really, really good time".

Contact the writer at mayzhou@chinadailyusa.com