White Rabbit (2018)

White Rabbit: Directed by Daryl Wein. With Vivian Bang, Nana Ghana, Nico Evers-Swindell, Tracy Hazas. A dramatic comedy following a Korean-American performance artist who struggles to be authentically heard and seen through her multiple identities in modern Los Angeles.

“Any mildly neurotic to severely psychotic artists out there? Hm, yes, the target audience for this one is going to be tight. But if my title fits you, or if youu0026#39;re somehow trying to figure out how to deal with one of those types, then this will be a real treat.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eu0026quot;White Rabbitu0026quot; follows 2 weeks in the life of u0026quot;Sophiau0026quot; (Vivian Bang) who is a freelance performance artist in LA. Or as she explains to her mother, u0026quot;I make things you canu0026#39;t sell.u0026quot; Over the course of 2 weeks we witness her professional crisis, relationship crisis, and an overall life crisis in a very quirky and personal way. Although imdb lists this as a comedy drama, donu0026#39;t expect any gags, punchlines and LOLs because itu0026#39;s not that kind of comedy. Itu0026#39;s more like the comedy of real life where thereu0026#39;s no laugh track to our disasters, but objectively looking at it, itu0026#39;s just bizarre enough to be funny.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe interesting angle is that Sophia is a 1st generation Korean American who is trying her hardest to spin a racial discussion even though none exists. For example, one of her routines is a dramatic monologue about the LA riots and the mediau0026#39;s coverage of black-on-Korean violence. Yes, 15 years prior. As such, her audience (strangers in the park) react with a mix of lukewarm politeness and complete disregard.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAs the story unfolds, we see a similar attitude she has in her relationships (fabricating drama that doesnu0026#39;t necessarily apply). And ultimately we realize that Sophia is the perfect personification of passion without direction, or perhaps the Shakesperean u0026quot;sound and fury signifying nothingu0026quot;. Still, we are instantly hooked, wondering if this girl will pull herself together or if itu0026#39;ll end in u0026quot;the way to dusty death.u0026quot;u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI thought the acting was fantastic all around, with real world type dialogue (such as people talking over each other, or not necessarily finishing sentences), giving this film a very personal and familiar flavor, as if weu0026#39;re hanging out with friends.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThere arenu0026#39;t too many flicks like this, but I might group it alongside other quirky dramas like u0026quot;Punch Drunk Loveu0026quot; or an obscure 2009 gem about misdirected artists u0026amp; musicians called u0026quot;(untitled)u0026quot;.”