It begins with Austen’s famous opening to Pride - “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife” - as narrated by sarcastic protagonist Noah (Joel Kim Booster, the film's screenwriter), who immediately rejects this premise.
Despite its premise differing wildly from that classic novel, it goes above and beyond as a modern retelling, resulting in not only one of the funniest, most complete pieces of entertainment this year, but one of the best Jane Austen movies in a generation. His latest, the Searchlight-produced Fire Island, also features prominent gay Asian characters, but is an enormous swing in the opposite direction: it’s a riotous studio comedy about a group of boisterous gay men on a week-long vacation, and it also happens to be an adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. Its indie follow-up, Driveways, told a gentle story of loss and regret, and featured a young gay boy. His debut feature, Spa Night, was a harrowing indie about a closeted Korean American teen, and the shattered dreams of his immigrant parents. Filmmaker Andrew Ahn is one of America’s underrated gems.
