Genre
Synopsis
Aspiring Taiwanese painter Mia marries American photographer Joe at Brooklyn courthouse. Though hastened by visa issues, they're in love and committed to building a creative life together. Meanwhile, Mia's aunt Lillian immigrates to marry Richard and settle in rural upstate New York.
When the couples meet, tensions flare. Richard's crude jokes offend Mia and Joe, while Mia feels embarrassed by Lillian's limited English and the fact that she and Richard communicate through a translation app. Mia judges Lillian's marriage as doomed.
Mia embraces New York's free spirit, becoming a hip Brooklynite. However, her career stalls while Joe thrives with exhibitions and book publications. Mia gradually becomes his assistant, losing her artistic identity.
In upstate New York, despite the language barrier and cultural gaps that seem impossible to bridge, Lillian and Richard's relationship has unexpected warmth—and a lot of sex.
Mia grows more and more depressed. Unable to understand her struggles, Joe grows distant. They separate. Mia realizes she's lost herself in the marriage, but doesn't know how to find her way back.
Returning to Taiwan to reconnect with her roots, Mia discovers she's now perceived as American. She watches a baseball game at Taipei Dome with childhood friend A-Ren. A-Ren questions: "Beyond nostalgia, how much do you really know about your homeland?" Hiking in Yangmingshan, they discuss Taiwan's precarious political situation.
At the night market, Mia wanders alone, savoring bubble tea and stinky tofu—childhood flavors still familiar yet somehow foreign. She realizes she belongs neither to America nor to Taiwan anymore, caught between two worlds.
On the flight back to New York, Mia dreams of her blurred identity as 2D animation.
Mia and Joe divorce at the same courthouse where they married—navigating the bureaucratic process with unexpected coordination, a sad and ironic moment.
Alone at Christmas, Mia visits Lillian and Richard in rural upstate New York. The majestic snowy landscape opens new perspectives. During a difficult winter hike, Mia gets injured and lost—she witnesses Richard's surprising dependability as he carries her to safety. Over drunken karaoke, Lillian reveals the discrimination she endured and how Richard's protection and her perseverance prevailed. Their marriage thrives despite language barriers, and Lillian's quiet resilience inspires Mia.
Months later, Mia debuts her solo exhibition, "American Wife," exploring immigrant experience and identity through paintings and 2D animation, including a piece inspired by Lillian.
Bio
Sen-I Yu is a New York based, award-winning filmmaker originally from Taiwan. She recently wrote and directed her feature directorial debut MY HEAVENLY CITY, a film which explores the theme of blending into America, loneliness and human connections. “My Heavenly City” was selected in the 43rd Hawaii International Film Festival and was nominated for NETPAC Award, an award to the best Asian feature film by a jury from the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema in the global market. Since September 2023, “My Heavenly City” has launched its worldwide theatrical release and has reached six countries/regions, including Taiwan, Hong Kong, Canada, United States, UK and Australia, receiving positive reviews from media such as The Guardian: “Fresh, thoughtful takes on immigrant experience,” “Sen-I Yu’s sympathetic and humane film traces three loosely woven stories of people dealing with loneliness and stress in New York City…”
The short film version of MY HEAVENLY CITY won the 2020 NYC Women’s Fund by the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment and NY Foundation for the Arts.
Another feature project, MY BEAUTY QUEEN MOM, won the 2015 HAF/Fox Film Development Award, a Screenplay Development Grant from Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture and a Bronze Award at the “Film Taipei” screenplay competition. Her screenplay CALIFORNIA MOMMY was a 2018 SFFILM Rainin Grant Finalist.
Sen-I’s earlier short film ACUPUNCTURE GIRL was a Student Academy Award Regional Finalist
