Frank Sun perfectly combines humour and discomfort in the excellent yet delicate We Are Kings. This is a short film that effectively captures the challenges of discovering one’s cultural identity in a world of ongoing tension.

Lin (Kenny Ridwan) and his best friend Walid (Mahi Alam) sneak into the Chinese restaurant where his mother works to pirate DVDs–until his high school crush Amber (Jade Spear) walks in, forcing him to choose between friend, family, and love.

Finding your own identity is always tricky as a teenager. Still, when you are someone who struggles with your cultural identity on top of that, it becomes even more challenging. Then, that challenge becomes all the more difficult to figure out. With We Are Kings, Frank Sun has achieved a remarkable balance in portraying this internal conflict.

Sun’s writing shines through as he takes us on what starts off as a light and fun film about two teenagers just trying to make an extra buck or two. You are fully prepared for We Are Kings to keep to that tone, even when Amber comes into the equation. Instead, surprisingly but very wisely, the entire narrative of the film shifts to be an emotional drama about the complexities of first-generation immigrants and their attempts to assimilate at a time when xenophobia knows no bounds.

Worst of all, the xenophobia he faces at the hands of Caleb are small, little stabs that prick away at Lin as he tries to brush them off with humour. But we know they hurt; how could they not? They are endless on that car journey, and Caleb never once feels he is doing anything wrong as he utters what he does. With this shift in the narrative in We Are Kings, the short film becomes a poignant example of what people like Lin face and continue to face throughout the world, where xenophobia thrives.

With Lin, he tries to “assimilate” with his Western friends. He, more so than Walid, is not just pirating the DVDs for those couple of bucks; they are doing it to earn friendships with the “cool” white kids at school. Lin also has an abundance of shame for his culture and his parentage. One in when he forces Walid to hide under the table with him as Amber comes into the restaurant, which has a comical result. But more biting and painful is what he does with his mother. A moment that is full to the brim with agony for both mother and son.

Our trio of Ridwan, Alam and Spear give some natural and nuanced performances. Ridwan is great as the conflicted Lin. A boy who just wants the girl he has a crush on to feel the same way towards him while also living a “normal” life. We have moments where Ridwan has to laugh along with what Carlos is saying to him, but his face betrays that laugh; his eyes are pained as he uses his laugh as a coping mechanism.

With Alam, you feel he is portraying Walid as someone who has already experienced Lins’s conundrum and, as such, is happy just to be doing something with his friend. So when he sees his friend leave, he knows rightly that it is a mistake and that Lin must learn on his own to grow, for he has accepted his cultural identity and isn’t ashamed of it. Spear plays Amber as a girl stuck between two worlds. One where she wants to know Lin more because of who he is and still having to hang out with people like Carlos, who are still well behind the times with their xenophobia. She is someone firmly stuck between a rock and a hard place, and she plays that role so well.

We Are Kings, at times, uncomfortably feels too authentic in how it tackles cultural identity in teenagers and the ongoing pain of xenophobia. It feels like Frank Sun has more story to tell in this world; with these characters and with some luck, we will get to see his fully realised vision. Ensure you get the chance to watch this short.

★★★★

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