by ARIANNA CARAMAT, Audrey Magazine
Award-winning Korean American filmmaker Jade Justad (Three Actresses Walk Into A Bathroom…, The Ex-Lunch) is in the works of creating her most personal film yet — Creased. The film follows the story of Kayla, a smart and well-liked Asian American high schooler who is highly considering double eyelid surgery, during the emotional days leading up to her final decision. It’s a coming-of-age film that explores a point where race, race relations and mainstream Western beauty standards all collide.
East Asian blepharoplasty is a relatively common procedure considering that it’s one of the three most popular surgeries among Asians, but it’s still a very sensitive topic. There are those who strongly oppose it and those who praise the results. Justad makes it clear in the Kickstarter that “the goal of this film is not to place judgement on an individual,” but rather look at some of the reasons why an Asian American teenager might believe this surgery potentially holds the key to her happiness and success. In fact, Justad makes a personal statement on the short film’s website that further explains the film’s inspirations and what really drove her to create Creased:
“Creased is a very personal film for me and by far the most intimate subject matter I have ever approached as a filmmaker. My inspirations and cinematic references for this film include the aesthetics of the Instagram account of Brandy Melville, the obsessive teenage behavior in The Bling Ring, Julie Chen’s story on The Talk and just as importantly the reactions of her co-anchors to her surgery, the close-ups and sensuality of Blue is the Warmest Color, the Korean American woman who waxed my bikini line as she told me I had more beautiful eyes than her because I have a crease, the emotional and inventive cinematography of True Detective, that guy in college who loved Buddhism when he was sober and racist jokes when he was on the Jack Daniels, the long takes and character driven heart of the “Before Sunset” trilogy, the woman at the Clinique make-up counter that offered tips to open up and “westernize” my eyes when I was thirteen, the youthful humor, verve, and fraying friendships of Y Tu Mama Tambien, and that time when I was a teenager and I looked in the mirror and wished a white girl was looking back at me. This film is for that girl. And all the girls like her.”
If you want to help Jade Justad reach her goal, you can check out the Creased Kickstarter!
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Featured image courtesy of creasedthefilm.com. Originally published on Audrey Magazine.
