• Set in Chinatown, NYC – Leena is an illegal gun dealer facing a difficult decision. Should she stick with her faithful lover Roy ( Sung Kang ) and continue their fragile gun running operation or should she make a deal with a mysterious buyer whom she can't overlook?
Directed by EVAN LEONG, this documentary tells the behind-the-scenes story of the landmark film "BETTER LUCK TOMORROW" which was directed by YOMYOMF founder Justin Lin. Through interviews with the principals (including actors SUNG KANG, ROGER FAN, and KARIN ANNA CHEUNG) and footage documenting the film's journey from inception to its successful sale to MTV at the Sundance Film Festival, Leong's doc takes an in-depth look at the making of a film that has had a profound impact on both Asian American and indie cinema.
In its first ever film acquisition, MTV Films eventually acquired Better Luck Tomorrow after it debuted at The Sundance Film Festival. After meeting at the National Association of Broadcasters convention in Las Vegas, Nevada in April 2001, MC Hammer (credited as a producer)[2] provided the much needed funding to the filmmakerJustin Lin for this film.[3][4][5] Thedirector said, "Out of desperation, I called up MC Hammer because he had read the script and liked it. Two hours later, he wired the money we needed into a bank account and saved us.
Lin said that the title "Better Luck Tomorrow" refers to how the film explores "the whole youth culture of today, specifically Asian American, but also just the general mentality of teenagers today. I mean, I work with teenagers, I grew up in the 80s, and already it's very different, the mentality. You go to suburbia, you look at upper middle class kids, and through the media they've literally adopted urban gangsta mentality."[7]
Originally the film was going to be shot in digital video, but within two weeks, after Fujifilm and later Kodak proposed deals with the director, the filming switched to 35mm.[7]
Vincent Brook, author of Land of Smoke and Mirrors: A Cultural History of Los Angeles, said that Ben is the "'better half,' in the feminized sense" of Robert Chan.[8]
Brook said that Stephanie plays two archetypes, being a "dragon lady" when interacting with Ben and being a "butterfly" when interacting with Steve.[9]
