Alex Tune-Xia Showcases A Lesson In Queer Driving: Interview

In Actually Good Driver, which debuted on the Oscar-qualifying HollyShorts Movie Pageant, an Asian American mother (Keiko Agena) teaches her grown-up youngster (Alex Tune-Xia) how one can drive, forcing each of them to confront the barely harmful activity at hand whereas resurfacing tensions between them up to now. Tune-Xia, who wrote, directed and stars within the brief movie, additionally has credit writing for TV exhibits similar to Rick and Morty, Exploding Kittens and The Tonight Present Starring Jimmy Fallon. Right here, the filmmaker talks about their inspirations and the making of their first brief movie.

DEADLINE: Are you able to speak a bit about your filmmaking journey? What impressed you to come back to this subject? I do know you’ve gotten a background in comedy. 

ALEX SONG-XIA: That is my first brief movie as a director. However as an actor/author, I got here up by means of comedy in New York. It’s not what my mother and father needed to occur, however I used to be at all times drawn to performing as a child, however I by no means actually obtained the prospect to pursue it till transferring to New York for faculty. With the liberty of residing in New York, I began going to UCB, the Upright Residents Brigade and did weekly exhibits, signed up for improv courses, and located no matter day jobs that might assist me pay for it. I then began working as a comedy author and getting performing jobs, however largely working for different folks. This was my first time directing one thing that I wrote. 

DEADLINE: The premise of the brief is pretty easy on the floor. It’s a couple of driving lesson, however then it really unfolds into this confrontation about acceptance in having already come out of the closet. Plus, as if that wasn’t already remedy sufficient for this character, you’ve added a dialog about poisonous relationships and studying self-worth on prime of that. Are you able to discuss the way you arrived at this concept of the brief movie and the way the themes unfolded all through? 

SONG-XIA: I’ve began joking at movie festivals that this brief is totally made up and non-autobiographical, however clearly, it’s fairly autobiographical. It’s primarily based on my mother instructing me how one can drive as an grownup after forgetting that the explanation I by no means realized as a young person was as a result of I got here out, and he or she form of freaked out and didn’t let me learn to drive. And for years and years, I joked that she additionally forgot I got here out, and I needed to re-come out to her at 26. However by means of engaged on this movie and with the opposite actor, Keiko Agena, she would ask me questions concerning the mother character. And I noticed that my very own mother didn’t a lot as neglect as I realized how one can misinform her and date males and attempt to be who she needed me to be. Then, I used to be additionally very drawn to the concept of not telling a coming-out story however form of what occurs after, particularly coming from a household that doesn’t actually like to speak about issues. 

DEADLINE: I considered that too once I was watching. How attention-grabbing is it that it’s not a regular coming-out scene: your character had already come out previous to the beginning of the movie. Do you suppose that we want extra tales centered extra on the aftermath? The place do you land on queer storytelling as of late? 

SONG-XIA: I really feel equally as I do with different underrepresented tales we’re seeing the place it’s like, I don’t suppose we’re on the quota for popping out tales or no matter tales, however I believe possibly now there’s a cultural understanding of it a bit bit extra. And it’s attention-grabbing to get to see the step previous that and that the bottom actuality is already that this has occurred and simply see the characters reside their lives after that.

DEADLINE: What’s one thing you’ve realized about your self when it comes to writing for fictional TV exhibits and late-night TV exhibits and now making your individual brief movie? 

SONG-XIA: It’s been attention-grabbing being the one who makes all the selections. I’m very blissful to provide you with as many jokes as many decisions for any person else. Nevertheless it’s been attention-grabbing [while working on the short film] when everybody has to have a look at you and be like, “OK, which one is it?” And I’ve been slowly understanding that I did have an opinion all alongside, and I do have an opinion, however I simply had spent so lengthy being like, “Yeah, no matter everyone else desires.” And there’s a time and place to serve another person’s imaginative and prescient but additionally having the ability to simply get nearer to listening to that voice that I didn’t know I had in my head of, “Oh, that is what I’m drawn to” or “That is what I’m seeing for [the vision].” 

DEADLINE: What sort of media are you consuming proper now? 

SONG-XIA: I simply watched the TV present The Finish of the F***ing World on Netflix for the primary time. I cherished it. I cherished the darkish humor and even the little facet characters that might have wealthy lives that added to the humor and the depth of the scene, even when it wasn’t about them. I’ve additionally been watching the most recent season of Hacks. I additionally watched this documentary known as Raise about this ballet program that provides scholarships to children in housing shelters. I actually favored that. 

DEADLINE: In what methods do you suppose you relate or don’t relate to your character? It feels like, from what you’ve already mentioned, you relate fairly rattling properly to your character? 

SONG-XIA: It was cool to me that by means of the rehearsal course of with Keiko, to have the ability to write a fuller character for the mother. And a lot of it’s introduced forth by her efficiency as properly. And I believe that actually helped me perceive the angle from either side a bit higher than simply my very own model of the story. By way of relating, I do suppose each characters are a bit bit braver variations of whoever the real-life variations of these characters are. 

DEADLINE: What would you want audiences to consider after they watch Actually Good Driver? 

SONG-XIA: That as a lot as there’s queer tales that form of give attention to the ache of [the experience], I like having the ability to finish on a bit little bit of a hopeful observe that even when not every little thing was fastened or solved that day, that the 2 characters are on a hopeful path. 

DEADLINE: What’s subsequent for you? 

SONG-XIA: I’m on the present season of Dimension 20: By no means Cease Blowing Up on Dropout TV and I’m simply engaged on writing a characteristic.  

[This interview has been edited for length and clarity]