Summer Solstice

Summer Solstice functions as both an intimate character study and a portrait of a community we rarely see on screen. Shot entirely on an iPhone 13 Pro with no budget, a skeleton crew, and a non-professional cast, the film sensitively captures a queer first generation Chinese American teenager as she experiences loneliness and yearning following the departure of an old flame. I set out to create a project that audiences could perceive as equally personal and universal. Our quietly powerful protagonist, Lucy Zheng, spends her free time revisiting familiar haunts, including an ornate Buddhist temple situated atop a hill and a childhood home, bathed in warm sunlight, that is now being put up for sale. Attached to each space is an array of complex emotions that the audience experiences alongside Lucy. I wanted people to move through the courtyard, the hallway, or the restaurant with her while adding a sense of naturalism and authenticity to convey this unique perspective. Every scene was shot on location in Diamond Bar and San Gabriel Valley, two cities known for their populous East Asian immigrant communities, and the short itself was created by an all-AAPI cast and crew, many of whom grew up and still reside in those respective areas. As the director, producer, writer, DP, and editor, I had more than enough responsibilities, but I still devoted my attention to capturing cultural nuances (a Buddhist monk passing by our lead or elderly men chatting in Mandarin). And while the specificity of this narrative is evident in Zheng’s performance and the encompassing cinematography, there is a universal aspect to the film, and it is my hope that viewers undergo a transformative journey steeped in nostalgia and regret. Because refusing to move forward and choosing instead to live in the past is a state that most people have experienced. Watching our lead immerse herself in places filled with memories works to identify a common humanity between us all. And isn’t that what cinema is about?