STRANGERS DATE: SUNDAY, MAY 2 TIME: 9:00 PM VENUE: SUNSET 5 BUY TICKETS

STRANGERS
(United States, 2010) Dir.: Michael Aki; Scr.: Robert Burke, Michael Aki
Video, 106 min., color, narrative

Play against a dark backdrop of a gritty Los Angeles, infuse with a mix of romance and danger, and you just might come close to getting STRANGERS, the newest feature directed by Michael Aki. A story of a murder-turned-kidnapping-turned-side-switching-escape-turned-love story, STRANGERS combines a number of elements that demonstrate much of Aki’s personality as an actor and director along with the personality he set for the film, as well. Aki, who plays Mark in STRANGERS, meets a woman, played by Eugenia Yuan, when he rescues her from becoming the next victim of a contract murder assignment following the murder of her boyfriend. A generally solitary hit man, Mark saves the woman from what would have been her death by his hand out of a sentiment of longing connection that had not been present before. This twists the film into a thrilling escape by two strangers holding on to one another while an unpredicted romantic dependence grows throughout the chaos.

STRANGERS is filled with a kind of uniqueness that is simultaneously nuanced and visceral. Aki’s vision of Los Angeles for STRANGERS is a distinguished one as we visit various sites: dirty, isolated parking lots, street after street of cars parked bumper to bumper, and a looming warehouse — the kind of Los Angeles I’d want to see in a pseudo-action movie. Its neo-noir set up and saxophone-tinged soundtrack is unmistakably right for the mysterious eccentricity Aki creates for the aura of STRANGERS. A lack of dialogue does nothing to take away from the film, but, instead, significantly and perfectly contributes to the film’s aforementioned peculiarity.

STRANGERS is a simple film with a number of actors that could be counted on two hands. It holds a quiet sense of reserved gravity and tension that captures an audience. But even with this simplicity, there exists an implied seriousness to the storyline. The uncharacteristic relationship that is created between Yuan and Aki’s characters as they make multiple escapes, marked partly by camaraderie and partly by desire, provides a further captivating factor in this already thrilling film. Distinctive and attention-holding, STRANGERS will make an impact even in its subtlety.
- Dara Kim

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COMMUNITY CO-PRESENTER: Giant Robot

Preceded by

	BLACK COFFEE (United States, 2009) Dir.: Bao Tran; Scr.: Timothy Watkins, Charles Forsgren Video, 10 min., black & white, narrative Someone has found out about David’s affair and is blackmailing him. David plans to make the payment to spare his political career, but he’s about to find out he’s been double-crossed.