Reflective Encounters

“Before the film’s opening shot appears on screen, a deep breath of panic arises. Deprived of dialogue, Asian Girls does not fail to put the sound design at the center of the attention. Between panic attacks and moments of stillness, Hyun Lee plays with jump cuts and powerful electronic music inserts to bring out the personal and disturbed inner visions of the two protagonists. 

Backed up by a calm and extremely refined visual universe, in which the architecture of the places is highlighted and individualism never mixes with the sense of community, the film draws up a portrait of two young women, a Chinese factory worker and her neighbour, an elegant Japanese businesswoman. But do they really know each other? The two women’s strikingly different lifestyles are juxtaposed throughout the film – one vignette mirroring the next in a dynamic carousel of everyday gestures.  As a result, the viewer is encouraged to leap from fantasy to imagination, from the unspeakable to anticipation, from the fear of the unknown to an overflow of apprehension.  

The image, or more precisely the perception of oneself in relation to others, is also central in the film, which tackles societal clichés and the resulting social class conflicts. One can live in the same building, in the same city, in the same country as another; one can come from the same continent, have common habits and routines, and still judge or fear the person who is supposed to be their fellow. ”

— Florian Fernandez