SYNOPSIS
In this intergenerational drama, Abigail, a young Vietnamese-American college student, wants to grow up and be independent. She refuses the many suitors that her mother, Theresa, sets up for her. Instead of staying in the kitchen and cooking for her husband, something she saw her grandmother and mother do her whole life, Abigail would much rather follow her passion and talent as an artist. In order to get her wish, Abigail must prove to her mother that she can take care of herself. With the guidance from her grandmother, Abigail comes to understand the importance of food and cooking as a way of connecting with loved ones and preserving culture.
Production design for Ăn was influenced by the location and socio-economic elements of the story. In regards to dressing, it was important to fill the kitchen with ingredients and utensils that would be commonplace in a Vietnamese household. Through research and exchanging feedback with the director, we sourced most of the dressing from H-mart as well as authentic Vietnamese vendors. In order to match the aesthetic of the location, dressing was aged, worn, and blocked to suggest a repeated use and "lived in" feel. As opposed to other projects in my portfolio that are either stylized or set in specific time periods and/or aesthetics, Ăn is unique in that is grounded in present-day reality and executed with a necessary degree of subtlety.
LOCATION PHOTOS
STILLS
