Private Project

I Will Make You Mine

Rachel (Lynn Chen) lives in idle luxury with a cheating husband. Professor Erika (Ayako Fujitani) juggles career demands with raising her daughter Sachiko (newcomer Ayami Riley Tomine). And struggling musician Yea-Ming (Yea-Ming Chen) is still chasing a fast-fading dream. Three women who couldn’t be more different have one thing in common: their flawed romantic history with singer-songwriter Goh Nakamura (himself). When the amiable but unreliable Goh ambles back into town and into their lives, the past comes roaring back.

This semi-sequel to Surrogate Valentine (SXSW 2011) and Daylight Savings (SXSW 2012) revisits the characters in a stand alone story with a fresh new perspective.

  • Lynn Chen
    Director
  • Lynn Chen
    Writer
  • Dave Boyle
    Producer
    Man from Reno, Surrogate Valentine
  • Mye Hoang
    Producer
    Viette, Man from Reno
  • Cathy Shim
    Producer
    Raising Buchanan, The Vent
  • Emily Ting
    Producer
    Go Back to China, Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong
  • Lynn Chen
    Producer
  • Lynn Chen
    Key Cast
    "Rachel"
    Saving Face
  • Yea-Ming Chen
    Key Cast
    "Yea-Ming"
    Daylight Savings
  • Ayako Fujitani
    Key Cast
    "Erika"
    Man from Reno
  • Goh Nakamura
    Key Cast
    "Goh"
    Surrogate Valentine
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Genres:
    Drama, Comedy, Romance
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 19 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    July 31, 2019
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.40
  • Film Color:
    Black & White
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Director Biography - Lynn Chen

At the age of five, Lynn made her debut on the stage of The Metropolitan Opera House. She has been performing ever since.

On TV, she has guest starred on "Silicon Valley," “Fear the Walking Dead," "Seal Team," "NCIS,” “Numbers,” nearly all of NBC’s “Law and Order” shows, and held recurring roles on “All My Children,” and "The Affair."

In the film world, Lynn is a fixture at film festivals, setting an unofficial record at the 28th Annual LAAPFF with 5 concurrent movie roles. Directors often recast her – she has earned a reputation as a hard-working, down-to-earth collaborator.

This journey began with a starring role in her first feature film, “Saving Face” alongside Joan Chen and Michelle Krusiec. The romantic comedy was produced by Will Smith's Overbrook Entertainment with Forensic Films, and was released theatrically by Sony Pictures Classics in May 2005. It earned her “The Outstanding Newcomer Award” at the 2006 AXAwards.

Since 2009, Lynn has become known as an award-winning blogger (The Actor's Diet, Thick Dumpling Skin) and body image activist. Her food videos with BuzzFeed, Hello Giggles, ISATV, and Tastemade's Facet have reached over 40 million views. Marie Claire Magazine named her the “New Generation of Social Activists." As a spokesperson for NEDA, she is a sought-after speaker, invited to National Conferences and College campuses. Lynn was the first Acting Ambassador chosen by Skype and is a member of Time's Up API.

Lynn is also a musician, having studied classical piano since the age of seven. Vocally, she is experienced with all types of music – from a cappella (she was the musical director of her group at Wesleyan and The Brearley School) to punk rock (in 2012 she sang with Dischord Record’s E.D. Sedgwick on their European tour).

In 2016, Lynn won the Best Actor award at NBC Shorts Festival for her role in "Parachute Girls." She was awarded a holding deal with NBC.

"I Will Make You Mine" is Lynn's directorial debut, which she also wrote, produced, and stars in. She can currently be seen in the recurring role of "Mimi" on Season 10 of Showtime's "Shameless" and stars in three upcoming feature films.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

The first draft of “I Will Make You Mine” was born on a plane ride for Thanksgiving. The anticipation and anxiety drove me to write my very first feature film script. Every family reunion, I know I will face a lot of emotions - memories of who I used to be, what my life was like the last time I saw them. I am a different person when I’m around people who knew me when I was a younger, more naive version of myself. I know I will regress into the old me.

This movie explores the experience you have when you are confronted by your past. With ex-lovers, things become even more complicated. Here is a person who knew you intimately, someone who you’ve been vulnerable with. The regression doesn’t feel normal, it feels embarrassing. You become this ghost with bad manners, cheating on your current life.

I imagined three very different women (Rachel, Erika, and Yea-Ming), all who have a romantic history with the same man (Goh). His presence forces them to acknowledge that they’re not living the lives they had envisioned. They each have to re-evaluate what’s important to them, and figure out if Goh is still a part of that formula.

I’ve been singing and playing piano since I was five-years-old, so music is a huge part of this film. I believe songs are an effective way to show how difficult it is to communicate what you're feeling - especially as an older person. Youth and music are often intertwined, so it was important for me to showcase real musicians (Yea-Ming Chen and Goh Nakamura play versions of themselves) as they navigate the creative process from a more mature, albeit messy perspective.

The feeling I most want to share with “I Will Make You Mine” is hope. Hope that it’s not too late to be the person you dreamed you would be. Hope that as we get older, we can take the time to be proud of everything we’ve accomplished, rather than disappointed over all the detours and dead ends. Hope that we can open our eyes to a different perspective by acknowledging and honoring the thoughts and desires of our former selves.

It is that hope that led me to make my first movie. After three decades of acting, I am now a filmmaker.