DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT

If, within the context of the United States’ current political climate, the story of a man accessing a well-protected factory and joining a line of weary men and women—who are subsequently processed by an unorganized officer— feels familiar, it is in the exploration of an imposed identity and contrast of priorities that I want The Broken Cycle to lean on to speak about systemic issues.

As an immigrant myself, it was important to tie the present contrived perception of foreigners as job thieves to a pre-existing expectation that we belong to certain industries—a reality I have definitively experienced firsthand. However, rather than taking an accusatory approach, I wanted to explore this idea through an observational lens, juxtaposing individuals at work against a warm-hearted yet oblivious society. It is in this less divisive nature that I hope the audience finds a higher level of perception—one that recognizes elements of a cycle that does not favor one side over the other. Most importantly, I want it to foster empathy, prompting a deeper questioning of the aftermath of a country built on multicultural backgrounds.