So she's this character who exists and is a film character. So film characters are, uh, glowing and luminous and they're perfect, right. They--they were born exactly as they should be. And I think that, uh, that's why we all show up to the movies. Because we get to experience characters in its most, uh, fundamental, uh, self.SONG 00:26:45So what we're pursuing is that, right. We're not trying to recreate the--you know, we're not making a docu series about it, you know. I mean it's so much more about it. So I think, and I think that process is happening for every single character.

And her soul and her heart. And her emotions. And talking through and building this character together. So I think that Nora is genuinely somewhere between part of me in our collaboration. I think she's the center of our collaboration. And she's not all Greta Lee, but also she's not all Celine Song.

Well, I think that it's because I am, uh, never quite thinking about the, uh, the characters as kind of an immolation of the real life people that the whole film was inspired by, right. So I'm never showing up to a conversation with Greta and saying it's like, well, because the character of Nora was inspired by who I am, you need to now be just like me. That's not what I'm asking her for.

SONG 00:18:33Yeah. (laugh) Well, and well I think that it's also like, but I think when you're in a marriage too, I think that's the other side of things too. If you're--if you're in a long term relationship or a marriage like people--my audience members who, uh, have--who are in that place in their life.SONG 00:18:48You know, like it's sort of this other reaction where it's like, on one hand I've heard them say, you know, I just actually, uh, this movie made me, uh, really appreciate and love and acknowledge the--the importance of my partner. And I just how much I appreciate them, how excited I'm, um, you know, I feel, uh, to commit to them for the rest of my life.SONG 00:19:09And it just made me realize that I'm with a really, really good partner who cares for me, and I care for them. On the other side of things, I've also wrote the version of they're like, you know man, like this movie made me realize I'm in a very bad relationship. And I have a very hard conversation to have with my partner.SONG 00:19:27So I think that in that way, it's like it is meant to be more of the reflective surface for the audience. It's a little bit more like, huh, this is the decision and this is the life that this character Nora made. What does it make you think? What does it make you feel?SONG 00:19:40And--and how do you feel about it? Have you felt this way before?

Can I tell you. Like after almost every screening, uh, you know, because what's amazing is like, you know, like and also the movie can mean something different for everyone. I think that we see, uh, what kind of a life and what kind of a choice that, uh, Nora is making, or Nora is choosing.SONG 00:17:40But the thing that, uh, it reveals usually in the audience is like what--where are they--where they are in their life. And what they're looking for and what they want from their life. And what they're choosing. So for example, I heard both ends of spectrum from people who are single.SONG 00:17:56Where, you know, if you're single then, you know, I heard both of the actions of like, you know, this movie, you know, made me want to go and fly to another country and try to see if I can reconnect with that person whose I've been really hung up on. And just see if there's something there.

SONG 00:14:44Well, I think that when you're trying to, uh, make something that is really personal and that pass on in this case a very real autobiographical, uh, element and it's actually, uh, the--kind of the initial thing that, you know, spawn the whole film.SONG 00:15:00Because of that I think you're right. It is very, uh, vulnerable. But also I think that there is some total, uh, joy in it too. Because I get to share something that I personally feel very deeply is what it is like to be a human being, uh, today and now and right here.SONG 00:15:16So I think that the truth is that the feeling of that really did overwhelm, uh, the any kind of like, uh, fear or vulnerability or anything like that. I think that I could find the courage to, uh, share the story because I knew that if the audience, uh, would just hear me out on the story, I think that they would be able to understand, um, and really--and listen beyond on understand.

I could not have written it without knowing how it ends. I think the first thing I wrote was the very opening and then I wrote the scene at the bar leading into the final walk home. I always knew we were driving towards that ending. It’s meant to be a knife — you want the ending to be sharp.

I think about the ways a movie is going to live inside of audiences really differently. I don’t think it makes sense to only inspire tears — I think it can inspire a sense of bliss, too. The movie can mean so many different things. A lot of people see Nora cry at the end of the film, and they feel so connected to her and they also cry.

Double Happiness director Mina Shum looks back at what has — and hasn't — changed in this extended interview from The Filmmakers.7 years agoDuration 10:31Double Happiness director Mina Shum looks back at what has — and hasn't — changed in this extended interview from The Filmmakers.7 years agoArtsShare2:27PauseMute9:4210:31Toggle fullscreenShareLinkFacebookTwitterEmailEmbedDouble Happiness director

Double Happiness

The film is the vehicle for the reuniting the three generations in (more or less) corporeal form. But Ruth, who is “halved,” has a problem with integrity, and nothing is quite as simple as it seems. As the film unfolds, she leads us in an equivocal inquiry into the shifty nature of memory and the documentary genre itself.

POC vs MVP: What to Choose to Build a Great ProductDmitryCEOMVPHomeBlogEntrepreneurshipPOC vs MVP: What to Choose to Build a Great ProductPublishedNov 10, 2021UpdatedNov 11, 202115 min readWhen it comes to creating a new product or implementing a new feature, you need to test it first. The best way to do so is to check your idea with the appropriate steps. There are several software product stages: PoC, prototype, MVP, etc. What is the difference between proof of concept vs. MVP? Why are these stages essential? When should you build a Minimum Viable Product? This article focuses on two fundamental approaches that help test your idea quickly and create a successful solution.