Jade

Written, directed, edited, produced by Peggy Tserwen Tseng
2022 | 14 minutes | 8K colored

22-year-old Jade, the daughter of 2nd generation Chinese immigrants has been obedient to her mother her whole life, that is until her mother finds out that she’s pregnant. After Jade’s mother asks her to get an abortion, Jade runs away from home to protect her baby. Jade finds herself a cheap apartment and a job in a restaurant which doesn’t last long. She gets fired from the restaurant but the manager changes her mind after she witnesses Jade hiding from her mother in the restaurant kitchen. Inspired by the manager, Jade is emboldened to go home and face her mom, as well as her deepest fear and desire for life.

Jade: About

Director's Statement

I grew up in a very conventional Asian family, where emotions are repressed and feelings are never talked about. The relationships between me and my parents are distanced and intimidating. Nevertheless I never doubt the love my parents have for me. It’s a weirdly cohesive balance.
In the process of writing JADE, the plot came out intuitively, but I had a hard time digging into the deepest desire in Jade, the reasons why she insists on having the baby. Then I remembered when I was a child, I always imagined having my own happy family — that desire obviously came from the dissatisfaction for my primary family. I slowly realized what Jade wants as a mother, is actually reflecting what she wants as a daughter. Becoming a mother is a transformation for Jade to be stronger and face her fear and desire.
Jade is the miniature of all the people who share this kind of parent-child relationships — wanting to be independent, wanting to prove that they’re more than who their parents want them to be. JADE made me realized being strong doesn’t mean running away from your primary family — but to have the courage of facing, fixing and communicating.

Jade: About