A film focused on finding self amongst a movement
On Thursday, August 7th, Conner Sen Warnick’s feature film debut, CHARACTERS DISAPPEARING, will be screened at the 48th Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF) in NYC. In an interview with CineVue, Warnick explained that this film was birthed from the confusion and despair he felt during the rise in racism against Asians and Asian-Americans towards the end of 2021. Making this film is a way to combat hate and search for hope.
To work in the present, Warnick decided to research the past; specifically the cultural revolution in the 1960s-1970s in New York City’s Chinatown. He grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and at the time felt like there weren’t many firsthand accounts of this movement in mainstream media—he wanted to dig deeper. During his research, he was struck by the parallels he found between the activists back then and his friend group today—the feeling of trying to identify one’s self, amongst the masses of a movement.
Warnick describes this film as a very personal expression of people working through despair and sadness, set against a historic backdrop. It dives into the differences in how the characters view the world, as well as themselves in it. Each methodology reflects an experience of Warnick’s, back when he was working through his own identity and beliefs.
One of the themes of CHARACTERS DISAPPEARING is the need for a space to find individualism within the collective. How can someone, who is committed to a communal effort, exist as an individual without sacrificing themself? Herein lies the dichotomy of wanting to feel like you’re part of something important, while trying to retain your own identity and beliefs. Rising against your desire to create change is the tension of disagreeing with some aspects of the movement, but knowing this is too important a mission to give up.
With his character-driven debut feature, Warnick offers a meditative and thoughtful rumination on New York’s 1960s Chinatown, through the eyes of three young New Yorkers searching for a community to call their own. In the making of this film, elders from the community could see their movement, reflected back to them by the young actors who now continue their legacy. Their pasts were made alive again, a surreal and impactful feeling. This is just one of the ways Warnick shows us the importance of looking back and learning from the past. And finally, Warnick leaves this message to his viewers: “Don’t worry about ‘following’ the film. Sit with the emotional and visual experience.”
CHARACTERS DISAPPEARING will screen at Regal Union Square on Thursday, August 7 at 8:30 PM. It is one of many offerings from the Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF), which runs from July 31 – August 10 with both in-person and on-demand screenings.