Better Life

When a groundbreaking medical procedure promises to turn slackers into overachievers, aging Chinese father sees it as his last chance to achieve the American Dream-through his unemployed adult daughter.

OFFICIAL SELECTIONS:
New York Asian Film Festival
HollyShorts
LA Shorts
Cinema Femme Short Film Festival
Asian American International Film Festival
Rock the Shorts Film Festival
Flickers Rhode Island International Film Festival
Proof Film Festival
San Diego Asian Film Festival

  • Jessica Liu
    Director
  • Jessica Liu
    Writer
  • Annie Huang
    Producer
  • Richard Ouyang
    Key Cast
    "Gao"
  • Terry Hu
    Key Cast
    "Winnie"
  • Randall Park
    Key Cast
    "Dr. Mann "
  • Shirley Chen
    Key Cast
    "Leslie"
  • Peggy Lu
    Key Cast
    "Fanny"
  • Randall Park
    Executive Producer
  • Brandon Bui
    Executive Producer
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Sci-Fi, Comedy, Drama
  • Runtime:
    11 minutes 15 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    February 4, 2025
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English, Mandarin Chinese
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • New York Asian Film Festival
    New York City
    United States
    July 11, 2025
    World Premiere
  • LA Shorts
    Los Angeles, CA
    United States
    July 18, 2025
    West Coast Premiere
  • Cinema Femme Shorts
    Chicago
    United States
    July 17, 2025
    Mid West Premiere
  • Asian American International Film Festival
    New York
    United States
    July 31, 2025
Director Biography - Jessica Liu

Jessica Liu a filmmaker raised between Shanghai & the Bay Area with a playful and refreshing storytelling style. She explores desire and longing in repressed characters.

Her films have been selected at Academy qualifying film festivals - Cinequest, San Francisco Independent Film Festival, Dances with Films, and streaming on Amazon Prime and Oscar supported platform OTV.

She was selected for the 2024 Alliance of Women Directors’ Rising Director Fellowship, a member of Gold House Creator network, a 2024 Satellite Collective Fellow, a 2023 Frieze LA Fellow with Endeavor Content, Ghetto Film School, Fifth Season and was highlighted as a Comedic Creator to follow in Whohaha 2022 Comedy Call Out.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

"Better Life" is a personal story of my father's rise and fall in pursuit of the "American Dream." As an immigrant from China, he became ensnared in the rat race, sacrificing our family’s well-being in the process. The story explores both sides of this struggle, highlighting the human tendency to chase status and money at any cost.

The film follows Gao, a father who, in his desperation to give his daughter Winnie the life he thinks she deserves, commits a crime, neglecting to be the father she truly needs. This short serves as a catalyst for a feature film that delves deeper into the psychological toll of their choices, particularly within the AAPI community.

With dark comedy and sharp commentary, the story tackles economic struggles, the sacrifice of family values, and the complexities of the father-daughter relationship—rarely explored in Asian American narratives. Gao and Winnie, both outsiders in different ways, struggle to understand each other's love languages, leading to heartache and a heartbreaking fracture despite their best intentions.