Too Many Ethnics

'Too Many Ethnics' follows three best friends and the ordeals they face in the long line to get into an exclusive nightclub in Sydney. Centering on the queer and POC experience, the whole film takes place in the queue, mirroring my own experiences being a freewheeling twenty-something in Australia. I quickly noticed that my ‘white’ friends would just breeze into the club, but being brown and queer meant any time I considered partying, I had to plan the whole ordeal - was I wearing appropriate clothing? Did my haircut make me look too ethnic? Socks or no socks!? I soon learned these excess considerations were shared by my other ethnic friends, and the experience of night clubbing became very conspiratorial - we would share secrets (a lenient bouncer), schedule our partying for less exclusive nights and play the game of racism maths (3 ethnic guys equals doom, but add 2 white girls and you’re in!). I find these in-between spaces like the club line intriguing, with the high burden of unseen pressure on minorities forcing an invisible barrier to entry - and so we play the game of changing ourselves to fit in. As an Asian, I would limit pre-drinking because if my face flushed, it would be game over, even though it was a normal body reaction. I would stand with my shoulders square to look more manly. I would dress the part to be more acceptable, but at what cost? I’ve lost friends in club lines - those fallen soldiers who refused to play by their rules, but I persevered, wanting only to get in.

The film plays out as a long odyssey that tracks these hidden considerations minorities hold, with the central theme of progression infused in every production element - clothing degrades, the night gets darker, characters become more anxious. Though illuminating, the film is comedic, as I believe comedy can always cut deeper truths than drama ever could, and for the audience, when things can feel too real, the best way to cope is to laugh along. And the script is unrelenting - there’s almost no pauses and characters constantly overlap and cut eachother off, as when you’re in the high pressure environment of wanting to be accepted, every small detail feels like a threat. The only lifeline for these characters is their friendship, and the short film leans heavily into the intimacy between the three ‘boy-friends’, who rally behind eachother when they need to, but also are quick to call eachother out, honouring my own friendships I’ve shared with other QPOC. These traits are tracked through the lighting - starting with the golden sun, we enter coloured lighting states to show the tainted promise of fun, but end with the characters basked in white light, showing off their natural skin tones to highlight their self-acceptance in being themselves. But of course that last zinger needs to be done (it’s in the title itself!)… reality hits at the end and like all magical odysseys, the boys learn it’s the journey itself that teaches them their lessons.