Céline Roustan
A biracial man – neither fully white nor fully Chinese – struggling with his identity, Ollie is hoping to connect with his heritage by starting to take Mandarin classes. In his narrative debut Xie Xie, Ollie, director James Michael Chiang crafts a nuanced, intimate and delicate portrait of a man caught between two worlds, trying to build his own identity with a delightful dash of humor.
“Our identity is often challenged and denigrated even among our own communities”
“Growing up biracial, I never felt like I fully identified as Chinese, white or either concurrently, yet socially I felt required to”, Chiang shared with us. Anyone who is biracial will identify to that feeling to some extent, a realization Chiang came to after discussing it with friends and others who share his experience. “Our identity is often challenged and denigrated even among our own communities let alone externally”, he added. This creates an even more complex situation where we have to constantly prove or justify our identities – not just to others, but to ourselves as well.
Penned by both the lead actor, Oliver Chiang, and the director, the latter admitted that the screenplay is loosely based on moments in his life, woven together to create a portrait of “the intersection of personal identity and public acceptance”. The authenticity of their screenplay is what gives the film its emotional depth, and makes it so compelling, expertly balancing drama and comedy. Where the film is incredibly clever is that depending on your perspective, you will feel the narrative differently. As a biracial woman, I found the tone especially poignant, as I’ve experienced versions of those scenes, which seem mundane at first, but ultimately leave a weird taste in your mouth.
Oliver Chiang as Ollie
While the film is superbly produced, its main aim is to capture Ollie’s internal turmoil, thus relying heavily on its lead actor and how DP Shady Hanna framed and captured his performance. However, the most powerful moments of the film are not in the dialogue but rather in seeing Ollie being reminded of his identity in the most random situations. Oliver Chiang’s portrayal of the titular lead character is nothing short of impressive. Able to convey all the feelings of his character, even the ones he conceals from the people around him, his performance is incredibly moving. After witnessing his efforts to embrace his heritage and sharing the pride and joy that comes from it, it makes the concluding moment, when he is once again reminded that he is different, all the more poignant.
Xie Xie, Ollie had its World Premiere at the 2023 edition of TIFF and went on to have multiple selections including at the Aspen Shortsfest and the Palm Springs ShortFest, ahead of its online debut as a Vimeo Staff Pick.