About All I Ever Wanted
This light-hearted representation of Asian-American identities and LGBTQ+ relationships will have you rooting for best friends Jennifer and Christine as they navigate the trials of finding a date to prom.
Starring: Cathy Bui • Maria Zhang • Connor McRaith • Long Nguyen • Elyse Dinh
“Rom-com obsessed teen Christine has always longed for the picture-perfect romance… but she’s soon confronted with the fact that her ideal prince charming might actually be a princess charming instead” (IMDb).
There’s a sense of nostalgia in the opening of this short film. Not only is Christine watching classic rom-coms, she is watching them on an older TV with a VCR. The time period adds a layer of complexity and context to Christine’s life.
While it is a teen love story at its core, All I Ever Wanted covers a multitude of subjects that continue to be relevant today. This includes Asian and Asian American experiences, LGBTQ+ relationships, and the important milestones of our teenage years. Christine’s infatuation with rom-coms keeps the subject light-hearted while also establishing the societal influences of the time.
Teen Romance and Identity
Interrupting the “best part” of the rom-com she’s watching, Christine’s best friend, Jennifer, tells her she’s teaching her how to slow dance since their prom is coming up. Jennifer then explains that she can “use these dance moves to attract someone, and then kaboom! Love.” Beyond being best friends, there is apparent chemistry between them.
Jennifer tries to get Christine’s attention during the climactic kissing scene in the rom-com on her TV. Her actions wiforeshadow the ending, and Maria Zhang did an excellent job giving subtle clues through her character. They decide to dance again; they keep eye contact to raise the tension until Christine’s parents return home with groceries.
The young teens react to the abrupt arrival of parents, showing that they aren’t willing to admit feelings for each other yet, nor do they want to get caught. This culturally and contextually makes sense for the 1990’s and the culture of many Asian-American immigrant families. Christine’s mom immediately comments on how thin Jennifer is and promptly invites her to stay for dinner. She kindly declines and heads home, but not before suggesting that the “day isn’t over” to Christine.
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- Courtesy of Film Independent
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- Courtesy of Film Independent
Later in the afternoon, Peter stops by Christine’s house to ask her to prom. She says yes and he kisses her. That evening, Christine and Jennifer call each other and Christine asks her if she’s supposed to feel butterflies. Jennifer responds with “…so, nothing?” as Christine states that she can no longer attend prom with Peter.
The Reveal
Soundly asleep for the night, Christine is awoken by a tapping noise from outside her window. She looks outside, surprised by the bright purple lights that set the yard aglow. Jennifer has set up a tent with string lights, candles, flowers, and a boom box playing a love song— clearly a nod to the rom-com movies that Christine watches. She is standing there in her dress, while Christine is in her pajamas; she finally asks her to dance.
After they look longingly into each other’s eyes, Jennifer says Christine’s name and Christine cuts her off with a kiss. During the kiss, fireworks are going off in the background and Christine whispers “kaboom,” reminding the viewer of the previous conversation between them.
Asian-American Identities and LGBTQ+ relationships, as stated by the director
Our film continues the important work of broadening what an Asian and Asian American experience looks like by showcasing a joyful queer love story. We are all at different stages of reckoning with the complexities of our identities as Asians and Asian Americans. We are a community that has struggled with a forgotten history of exclusion, erasure, invisibility, and the loss of individuality. We have taught ourselves to shrink, to soldier on, to suppress our tears and diminish our pain conditioned by a false narrative of insignificance. The pandemic made us newly visible – but as targets of intensified hate and xenophobia. It’s in these times of great suffering and hate that it becomes even more vital to uplift and celebrate our art, our joy, and our love. In closing after a year of great difficulty our team hopes this film provides you with both comfort and warmth. Thank you.
– Erin Lau
To read more about LGBTQ+ representation in film and television, head over to this article covering OutFest. the work of Asian and Pacific Islander actors and celebrities, check out our earlier post regarding the Asian Pacific Islander Excellence Celebration.
Courtesy of Film Independent
An Atlanta-based actress, model, writer, and screenwriter, Miranda started her career on stage in high school. She figured out that acting and writing were two passions of hers that allowed her to constructively express her emotions through character and narrative. In 2022, she packed up her cat and everything she owned to move across the US to Atlanta to further pursue opportunities in the entertainment industry. She is currently working on a novel and the screenplay adaptation for the novel, and enjoys designing graphics.
