Double Happiness

By Jenny Siddle
March 24, 2008

As the co-host of the recent Genie Awards, Canadian starlet Sandra Oh took a moment with the audience to address the contentious Bill C-10 that is currently worming its way through Congress as we speak. “Censorship has had a little work done and is trying to make a comeback,” stated Oh about the proposed legislation which, if passed, would allow the Heritage Minister to withhold tax credits from a Canadian production if its content is considered 'contrary to public policy.' "I don't know about you, but that doesn't sound Canadian to me. Let's stop it,” she continued, initiating a rousing applause. In light of Oh’s comments, I thought I would take a nostalgic look back, long before the days of Sideways and Grey’s Anatomy, to Oh’s roots as a budding Canadian film actress in the 1994 indie flick Double Happiness.

Recently, UBC film grad and writer/director of Double Happiness, Mina Shum, along with story editor Dennis Foon, producer Stephen Hegyes, editor Alison Grace and camera operator Gregory Middleton, all gathered at the Vancity Theatre for a screening of their Genie award-winning film in celebration of the University’s 100th birthday. The film centers around Jade Li (Oh), an anxious twenty-something trying to break free from the constraints of her conservative Chinese-Canadian family to pursue a career as an actress. Li soon discovers that her family is not the only antagonistic force standing in the way of her dreams. As is still the case almost 25 years later, Jade cannot shake her “exotic appearance” and find a role that is neither a subservient Asian female nor a solely Mandarin speaking part, a language she doesn’t even know. In the midst of her frustration, she must hide her burgeoning relationship with the awkwardly charming and Caucasian Mark (Callum Keith Rennie), as her parents have begun to take it upon themselves to find their daughter a wealthy Chinese male suitor.

After re-reading the above summary of the film, it is interesting to note the similarities between this story and both My Big Fat Greek Wedding and Mambo Italiano, also penned by Canadians about the struggles of finding a balance between their North American upbringing and respective ethnic backgrounds. Despite the latter films’ relative successes almost ten years after Shum’s feature, I would still say that Double Happiness not only stands on it’s own in comparison, but actually outshines the other two. The Double Happiness script managed to flawlessly balance each unique story between Jade and a) her traditionalist parents, b) her impressionable little sister, c) the rebel best friend, d) the unlikely love interest, e) the pre-arranged male suitor, and f) her amusing Uncle visiting from China. It came as no surprise when Shum revealed that there were 27 rewrites involved before going to camera, the script was tight, not to mention poignantly funny. Oddly enough, it looks as though the film was originally set up to be a mockumentary of Jade’s family as there are distinct monologues by members in her family in a studio looking at the camera. During said monologue, each interviewee told a completely detached story or anecdote about their own background, adding a behind the scenes look at the lives of the secondary characters. It really made no sense in the context of the story, and yet the monologues added so much to our appreciation of each character’s choices and attitudes. Therefore, even though the story was told through the eyes of the protagonist (Jade), the little insight we got through her family’s monologues helped us better understand the full story.

As far as the acting goes, the seeds of stardom are definitely planted by both Sandra Oh and Callum Keith Rennie in this film. Rennie, the busiest man in Canadian show business, can add “lovesick dork” to the giant list of great characters he has played in both Canadian and American film and television, including but not limited to, a fame thirsty punk rocker, a shapeshifting enemy cylon, and a goal-oriented nymphomaniac trying to finish off his “to do” list before Armageddon hits. Oh stands out as an actress portraying a frustrated actress and has no problem carrying the film, even at a time when, as Shum puts it, “no one wanted to see a Chinese female lead.” One other notable performance, (other than Shum’s own appearance as Jade best friend) is that of Frances You as Jade’s younger sister, Pearl. The sibling chemistry between Oh and You was incredibly genuine and I was surprised to see that You has not had any major film credits since this film.

Lucky for us, Shum, who has been busy recently working on the small screen, will soon be coming out with her first feature in ten years: a “coming of age, high school kung fu spectacle.” That pretty much sells itself, doesn’t it? Furthermore, cinematographer Gregory Middleton just finished work on Passchendaele, a film written and directed by Paul Gross about the brutal WWI battle where 15 000 Canadians either died or were wounded. Look out for this later in 2008. Lastly, producer Steven Hegyes’ latest film Fifty Dead Men Walking will be premiering later this year starring Sir Ben Kingsley and directed by Canadian Kari Skoglund. Stay tuned to Jaded Expressions in the coming weeks for an exclusive interview with Kari Skoglund about what it’s like working with the Oscar winning actor, and about her adaptation of The Stone Angel, scheduled to premiere on Mother’s Day of this year.

Wide Release Date: July 28, 1995
Running Time: 1 hour, 27 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Director: Mina Shum
Producers: Stephen Hegyes and Rose Lam Waddell
Music: Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet
Screenplay: Mina Shum
Director of Photography: Peter Wunstorf
Editor: Alison Grace