Written By: Michelle Ahn
This Memorial Day may feel different from previous ones, but you can still enjoy new content from the Asian American community to finish off APAHM strong.
While everyone is coping with these uncertain times in different ways, director Quentin Lee (of “Comedy InvAsian” and “The People I’ve Slept With” fame) and writer Adi Tantimedh (author of “The Ravi PI” series) decided to further showcase Asian American talent on screen. What started off as a phone call to check in with each other during lockdown resulted in “Comisery,” a sci-fi comedy available to stream on their website and the Asian American Movies’ Facebook page this Memorial Day.
“Comisery” takes place in an alternate universe where a deadly alien virus is invading Earth. People are kept indoors and the only way to communicate with the rest of the world is through video and web chat sessions. The series features Amy Hill (“Magnum PI”), Bee Vang (“Gran Torino”), Sheetal Sheth (“Hummingbird”), Singaporean pop star Nat Ho, Jennifer Field (“9-1-1”), and Harrison Xu (“Shameless”), and also features music from the Asian American dance-rock band, The Slants.
While the series doesn’t mention the coronavirus or COVID-19 directly, it’s inevitable to draw some parallels between the series and real life. Tantimedh tells me, “Asian Americans have a very particular and unique view of the pandemic and lockdown … We wanted to reflect the sense of surrealism and absurdity of the current time.” In fact, the entire series is recorded over video conferencing software Zoom, which creates intimacy and unintentional familiarity between the characters and the audience. From a logistics point of view, Zoom also allowed all cast, Lee and Tantimedh to film while staying safe at home. Having a background in experimental filmmaking, Lee tells me he was thrilled to play and experiment with a new format and tool. “Adi and I got to sit at home and direct while the actors got to sit at home and act. In an odd way it’s kind of a dream come true!”
Believing that often “the most interesting and creative ideas come from limits,” Lee and Tantimedh remind us that art can be created no matter how few resources exist. They brought their specialities and backgrounds together, with no budget, location, or crew to band together a group of talented and benevolent actors “to create the most entertaining thing possible under those circumstances.” But Lee and Tantimedh both emphasize they couldn’t have done it alone. “I can’t praise enough the incredible actors who agreed to give their time, energy, craft and talent to this project,” Tantimedh tells me. “Without them, we wouldn’t be able to make this,” says Lee. “It’s a pity that so many talented Asian American actors are under negotiated in Hollywood, and as creators we will change that. And hopefully ‘Comisery’ is a step forward.”
As of now, “Comisery” is set to be an eight-part series with each episode running under ten minutes. Each episode will also coincide with a donation campaign to an Asian American-based nonprofit. The pilot will run a campaign for Asian CineVision with subsequent episodes campaigning for The Slants Foundation, Visual Communications and Outfest, to name a few. “We hope we can entertain people and give them a laugh about the crazy time we’re in, and also encourage people to create projects for self-care, artistic expression, even just escapism and fun,” says Tantimedh. “It’s surprisingly easier than you think when you already have the resources at your fingertips — your phone, your computer, the software.”
Catch the pilot episode of “Comisery” now online.