Quentin Lee talks about his lastest feature, "Drift"

04.05 - Posted by Editor

Quentin Lee and cast	Quentin Lee talks about his lastest feature, "Drift"   Interview by Joan Huang

4.05.02 - I first met Quentin Lee at Berkeley when he was promoting his first film "Shopping for Fangs." Enthusiastic, articulate and full of ideas, we put together a Q&A session on campus to promote "Fangs." Many festivals and a feature later, I read Quentin's script for "drift," a new DV feature he was planning on shooting. The script's characters and structure drew me in - almost everyone has thought about the "what ifs" in their relationships, despite whatever reality the relationship was in. What if the "what ifs" turned out differently than how you envisioned it? "Drift" plays with the essence of the various "what if" angles of the possibilities of the love triangle. Sometime amusing, sometimes too-close-to-home sad, but always heartfelt, it captures the confusing and raw emotions that new attractions or infidelity or boredom could stir up. Another extension to the definition of the genre of Asian American film, Quentin Lee's film has played to audiences in numerous festivals and is currently playing in Los Angeles and will open in New York in May. -- Joan Huang   AAF   It's great to see so many great reviews for "Drift" from big papers like LA Times to smaller papers in the mid-west.. do you like reading the reviews or is it more about what touches the audiences? What has the response been from festivals and screenings?   QL  "Drift" has played over 20 festivals already, mainly gay and lesbian ones worldwide. The reviews are mixed, some good and some bad. Regardless, it is getting seen and the audience seems to react very positive to the film. Oddly, "Drift" is getting more festival play then "Shopping for Fangs." Financially, "Drift" is also doing better than "Fangs". While "Fangs" went to major festivals like Toronto, USA and Singapore, it didn't do much business. I sold "Drift" to Wellspring with a decent advance a few weeks after it's premiere at the San Francisco Lesbian & Gay Film Festival.   Links "Drift" Official Site AAF   How do you describe "Drift" to someone who hasn't seen it?   QL  Critics have described "Drift" from being as a "gay 'Bridget Jones's Diary' " to a "gay 'Sliding Doors.' " It's a romantic relationship drama with a personal touch about a young screenwriter who breaks up a long-term relationship and drifts into three possibilities of a love triangle in his poignant search for a soulmate.   AAF   Did you always intend to do "Drift" in DV? Would you do another film in DV? How has the response to the DV "look" been?   QL   Yes, I conceived "Drift" to be shot it on DV because it's personal, intimate and immediate, and economical on top of all that. I also shot the film myself, which I felt pretty good about. From VARIETY to LOS ANGELES TIMES, critics have praised the film's technical values being first rate and the film well-made. So I guess I did an okay job after all. So of course I will shoot another film on DV, but there will be a different aesthetic and stylistic spin to it.   AAF   A lot of your projects have had semi-autobiographical qualities. Do you find it cathartic to put your fictionialized life out there?   QL   I mean I would say that all of my projects, including "Shopping for Fangs," have some sort of semi-autobiographical qualities. The question is how do these qualities manifest, whether it's in the style, or the storytelling, or the characters, or the story itself. "Drift" appears to be the most personal one on the surface, and it is. So in terms of that, it's a tough film to get out there because I'm so emotionally connected to the picture. I wouldn't say that it's cathartic, quite on the contrary, I find out that it's kind of masochistic. Probably won't do it again.   AAF   I know you have a couple projects and scripts in the works. What's next for you? If someone gave you a dream budget, what film would you be making?   QL   I have several projects ranging from "Campus Ghost Story" with Amen Ra Films (which has been in development for quite a while, and we're finally casting it) and smaller ones that I can get off the ground myself. I would say that everything I'm developing is something I want to do. What next really depends on which goes first. It's hard to say. But if I have a dream budget, I'll probably make "Campus Ghost Story" or "Teenage Murder Club" right away. They've been a genre that I'm excited to tackle, thriller/horror, and it's hard to do them well on a tiny budget as that of "Drift" or even "Shopping For Fangs."   AAF   The cast is great and well-directed. How did you get different emotions and responses from them for the different possibilities of the relationship shown in the film? Did working with DV have an effect?   QL   Casting the best and right actors (within the pool you can have access to) is the key to strong performances. I tend to just let the actors do their job and guide them along as much as I can. Things tend to work out that way for me. The most important thing is not to mold their acting too much, but rather, to try to inspire and guide them to use their genuine feelings and experience. Acting isn't about "acting" per se. It's about portraying truthful emotions in imaginary circumstances.   Shooting DV is certainly actor friendly because the set up is faster and a lot less clunky. Everyone can focus more on the performances. The very straight-forward and intuitive style that I chose to shoot DV for "Drift" also helps.   AAF   You've been making films for a long time, doing Super 8 films when you were younger. Any advice for working filmmakers or aspiring filmmakers?   QL   Live life, have fun, think of cool stories, write and just start making films. Don't be intimidated by film. Orson Welles said something like you can learn all about the technical part of filmmaking in a few days. And yes, if you focus on filmmaking as a technique, it becomes more of a craft. But if you look at filmmaking as a way of expression or telling a story, it's an art. Now do youwant to be an artisan or an artist? For me, making film is about telling a story, so I just follow that goal within the limited resources that I have.   AAF   Thanks Quentin! Last but not least - where and when can we find "Drift" near us??   QL   It's currently playing in Los Angeles at the Laemmle's Fairfax Cinemas at least until April 11th. Then perhaps New York in May. It's coming out on VHS and DVD from Wellspring Media on May 21. Ask your local video store owner to order it, and check out the official website at www.psychodandy.com.       Return to top