In a timely premiere, the short film āyí graced the screens at this year’s Tribeca Festival. Finding beauty in a place of madness, āyí (Eleven Lee), an undocumented housekeeper, spends her days working and her nights coming home to a crowded dormitory. As the future starts to look bleak, a random opportunity and chance meeting change her perspective and headspace, and ultimately, change the course of her future.
After learning of a roommate’s preference for hiring because of her English, āyí begins studying the language at night. A combination of this and her discovery of Baduanjin boosts her confidence and reprograms her mundane daily schedule. Baduanjin is a traditional Chinese mind-body exercise that focuses on breathing, flexibility, and stretching, often used for improving health and well-being.
Working during the day, sending money to family abroad, and coming home to a cramped space is not ideal. Adding to that pressure, being overlooked for better-paying jobs because of a language barrier and a lack of positive reinforcement, douses any desire for improvement. But with the addition of exercise to her routine via Baduanjin, she takes a bold, risky move and goes for a job that requires English.
The film takes a closer examination of the immigrant experience and humanizes those who are often overlooked in American society. The only issue I have with this film is that it was too short. The quality of camera work and performance by the cast would allow another 10 to 15 minutes easily.
The film is part of “Floating Roots”, Tribeca Festival’s first-ever AAPI-focused short film program. The program focuses on Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander heritage in its storytelling and is co-curated by Seigo Tono, the executive director of Short Shorts in Japan.
āyí gets a 9 out of 10. The immigrant story will always be the best one. To love an underdog tale is to embrace the immigrant, whether documented or not, who’s willing to take a risk with so many unknowns for a better life while battling the odds. Directed by Jiayi Li and produced by Nippich Suppasiripoka, the film is a timely tale that continues the conversation about immigration and the undocumented.
SCHEDULE:
Sunday, June 08 – 8:00 PM Shorts Theater at Spring Studios
Friday, June 13 – 9:15 PM Shorts Theater at Spring Studios
Saturday, June 14 – 8:00 PM AMC 19th St. East 6
āyí premiered on Sunday, June 8, at 8:00 PM at the Tribeca Festival.
-Jon Jones
Category: Short
Country: USA
Director: Jiayi Li
Runtime: 13 mins