CHARLOTTE SOMETIMES

Director: Paul Callahan

Cast: Michael Idemoto, Jacqueline Kim, Eugenia Yuan, Matt Westmore, Shizuko Hoshi, Kimberly Rose

Country: U.S.
Year: 2002
Running Time:
Format: Beta SP

Every night Lori sneaks out of her apartment to visit her best friend Michael and like clockwork they fall asleep on the couch watching TV. Innocent enough, except for the fact that the introverted Michael is secretly in love with her, and she lives downstairs with her boyfriend, Justin. Things change between the two best friends though when Michael meets a girl in a local bar and Lori suddenly becomes more attentive. Darcy is a writer and a much better intellectual match for Michael, and he is forced to choose between this new prospect and the habitual comfort of his forbidden obsession. When he arranges a double date with Lori and Justin, secrets between the guests are slowly revealed. Lori's jealousy turns into something more sinister and personal and it is hard to say if anyone really wins in the end.

Michael Idemoto gives a stand-out performance as Michael by conveying his inner turmoil using very little dialogue. Charlotte Sometimes is a new breed of Asian-American cinema where the focus is less on the conflict between young and old generations and more about first-generation Asians creating their own way of life in America.

Charlotte Sometimes was the co-winner of the Audience Award for Best First Narrative Feature at the recent South by Southwest Film Festival.

--Mary Kerr

Presented By: Eric Byler, Michael Idemoto, Eugenia Yuan, Matt Westmore

Eric Byler is the director of the multiple award-winning short film Kenji's Faith, and he is currently a resident director with the Lodestone Theatre Ensemble, Asian American theatre company based in Los Angeles.

Michael Idemoto returns to the screen, five years after starring in Sunsets, which he co-directed with "Giant Robot" front-man Eric Nakamura

Eugenia Yuan has appeared in several independent features and recently acted in her first big martial arts movie, which she shot last year in China. She has guest-starred on various television shows, including NYPD Blue, Martial Law, and Beverly Hills 90210.

Matt Westmore began his acting career at the age of five, when he performed in Madame Butterfly and the Magic Flute at the Redlands Bowl. More recent credits include recurring roles on Aaron Spelling's Sunset Beach and SCI-FI's Invisible Man.