The Shuttle

The Shuttle

Lu Han •

Duration: 00:15:55
Language: Mandarin, Cantonese, English
Subtitles: Chinese, English
Country/Region: United States

A Chinese nail salon owner in Los Angeles struggles with infertility while suspecting her husband of having an affair with a manicurist during his daily shuttle drives. When the shuttle arrives late once again, her doubts intensify, and she finally decides to confront him directly.

AWARDS & FESTIVALS

Best Narrative Short

TERMINUS Conference and Festival

United States

2018

Best Ensemble Cast

Asians on Film Festival

United States

2018

Best Short Narrative Film

Bushwick Film Festival

United States

2018

Palm Springs International ShortFest

United States

2018

Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival

United States

2018

Seattle Asian American Film Festival

United States

2018

Irvine International Film Festival

United States

2018

RiverRun International Film Festival

United States

2018

San Diego Underground Film Festival

United States

2018

Independent Film Festival Boston

United States

2018

Cannes Short Film Corner

France

2018

New Orleans Film Festival

United States

2017

Denver Film Festival

United States

2017

LA International Short Film Festival

United States

2017

CAST & CREW

DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT

Lu Han

Lu Han

Director

“The Shuttle is about love, womanhood and independence.”My mother got married and gave birth to me in her early twenties, and since then her roles as mother and wife chiefly define her identity. Even today, women are often expected to marry and have children for society to term them “good women.” Many married and infertile women therefore suffer great distress because they cannot provide an offspring. Even though sterile men can be unfairly blamed, women disportionately bear the brunt for failure to procreate. Moreover, many women feel they cannot divorce due to social stigma, and remain in unhappy marriages, a notion especially prevalent amongst the women from low socioeconomic backgrounds. I’ve personally seen many women suffer from these problems, and it makes me all the more determined to be a voice for these women. That’s why I explored issues of infertility, infidelity, and immobilization of women in this short film.In movies, the portrayal of the wife and mistress almost always follows the same line. The wife is the victim and the mistress is the devil. However, in relationships there is no absolute right or wrong. Often the wife, the mistress, even the husband can all be considered the victim in many regards. I want to explore these human relationships through a relatively unbiased lenses. All key characters have a reason or motivation for their action. Nobody is born pure evil or good; by moving the three characters along the spectrum closer mirrors the true state of humanity. When I write, I always weave social, political, and moral themes into the main narrative. My hope is to capture the unfolding stories of ordinary people; so the screen becomes a mirror or vessel to connect the dramas of their own lives lurking just below the surface. I believe good stories connect us all. I hope audiences will see themselves though the characters I created.

TRAILER

The Shuttle - TRAILER

FILM STILLS