La Boheme

Set in current-day New York, this filmed opera reimagines La Boheme by glorifying rooftops, mattresses, and the grungy, sexy, dirty world of being in your early twenties in the city that never sleeps. This work focuses specifically on Asian, Asian-American, and BIPOC youth and their experiences, creating a poignant subplot of immigration, assimilation, and racism. This film embraces the Covid pandemic as an opportunity to set Mimì's illness and poverty in a context that is relatable and timely. It also notes the prejudice surrounding Asians and Asian Americans as a result of this global crisis. Visually, it was shot in real locations but romanticized with animation. The story will transport you from apartments and lofts to the beautiful dreams and imaginations of the characters with animated metaphors that work to enact Puccini's theatrics symbolically. This La Boheme defies stereotypes, subverts tropes, and boasts a diverse cast while leaning on America's greatest Asian singers.