Music, friendship, an old flame, and San Francisco — Surrogate Valentine is the prototypical indie film, and a damn good one at that.

Directed by Dave Boyle (White on Rice), the romantic comedy stars Goh Nakamura, as, well, Goh Nakamura. Not unlike his true self, Goh plays a comfortable-in-his-own-skin San Francisco musician who makes a living playing live shows. He reluctantly picks up a side gig teaching guitar to Danny Turner (Chad Stoops), a B-class TV celebrity eager to prepare for an upcoming film role as a musician. The unlikely duo begin their awkward relationship in San Francisco and develop a comfortable friendship through their laughable adventures on the road. Alas, that is not the only relationship Goh is confronted with. He and his old flame, Rachel (Lynn Chen), reunite and Goh is then forced to face the undoubtable chemistry between the two.

Ultimately, Boyle crafts a heartwarming, fun film with a simple story and relatable characters. Boyle’s decision to shoot the film entirely in black and white adds to the genuineness of every emotion in the movie, be it Danny’s love for acting, Goh’s passion for his music, or Rachel’s affection for Goh. Stay for the closing credits and you will be treated to Goh Nakamura’s performance of the title song, after which the movie is named.

We caught a screening of the film at the 12^th Annual San Diego Asian Film Festival (SDAFF) last week, and it really is no mystery why Surrogate Valentine won the Grand Jury Award. Oh, and did we mention that shooting for the sequel just wrapped? Look for Surrogate Valentine streaming on Netflix around November 1, 2011.

Before the movie, we got the chance to sit down with the actress herself. Lynn shares with us the challenges she faces as an actress, more on her role in the film, and for the foodies out there – her fave spots to eat in San Diego!

 

PANEL:  ”Asian American Women in Hollywood and Beyond”
Lynn also participated in an inspiring panel at the film festival – she was joined by actress Sheetal Sheth and UC Berkeley Professor Elaine S. Kim to discuss the transforming role of Asian American actresses. Kim’s documentary Slaying the Dragon:  Reloaded was shown, which evaluates the shifting representations and opportunities for Asian actresses. Lynn praised the Asian American entertainment community as tight-knit and graciously credited film festivals across the nation for fostering a support system for artists. Although she admitted that stereotypes still exist in this cutthroat industry, she’s hopeful about the trajectory for actresses in general. She does not hold the idealistic goal of completely eliminating stereotypes – instead, she wants to see more “roles of depth” for Asian actresses.

SHORT FILM:  Via Text, a short by Abe Foreman-Greenwald, starring Lynn Chen
The screening of Surrogate Valentine was preceded by a showing of Via Text, a 10-minute short film starring Lynn and directed by her husband, Abe Foreman-Greenwald.

Statistics show that 2.12 trillion text messages are sent and received in the United States each year. And that is exactly why Via Text is as enjoyable as it is relevant. The simple story follows a woman through a seemingly typical day, and unfolds entirely through the text messages she sends and receives from her beau. The film does a fantastic job at capturing the frustration that non-verbal communication can – and often does – cause in the modern-day relationship.