I’ve been at SXSW since March 8 and after enduring the rain, sitting through almost two dozen films, and randomly running into Ernie amidst the sea of hipsters, tech geeks, and movie buffs, I am still alive and going strong!
I have managed to see some great Asian-centric films (which I will get into more later), but I wanted to put the spotlight on one of the best films I’ve seen at the SXSW: Eden starring Jamie Chung.
Here’s the official synopsis:
In 1994 Korean-American teenager, Hyun Jae, went to a bar in New Mexico where a handsome young man posing as a firefighter offered her a ride home. Then she was abducted and smuggled into Las Vegas where she was imprisoned as a sex slave for two years. During her captivity, Hyun Jae (dubbed Eden by her captors) ensured her own survival by steadily carving out power and influence within the very organization that imprisoned her. Inspired by the complex and harrowing true story of human trafficking survivor Chong Kim, Eden peers into the darkest corners of America and attempts to discover the humanity within.
Considering I was expecting the run-of-the-mill human trafficking drama, this movie sideswiped me with its harrowing drama and I was thoroughly impressed. Chung’s dramatic turn as Hyun Jae could possibly be a game changer for her career. During the SXSW Film Awards, she won the Special Jury Recognition for her Performance while director Megan Griffiths snagged the SXSW Chicken & Egg Emergent Narrative Woman Director Award. Eden also won the Audience Award for Narrative Feature.
Needless to say, the movie is good. Really good. Keep your eye out for it.
