Paper Daughter
Directed by Cami Kwan
Produced by Brandon Diep Bui
Written by Cami Kwan
United States | English | 15' | Drama, Historical, Fantasy, Animation
Joy, an immigrant from China, enters the U.S. under a false identity as a “Paper Daughter,” memorizing details of a deceased girl named Mae and creating a paper mask in her likeness. Arriving at Angel Island, she faces detention and interrogation, discovering carved poems that echo the struggles of immigrants before her. During questioning, her mask begins to unravel until Mae’s ghost appears, guiding her to answer and helping her pass. With her papers approved, Joy leaves for San Francisco, where Mae’s spirit fades into the wind, urging her to live for them both. Joy steps forward into freedom, carrying Mae’s memory with her.
I love animated films that embrace the medium to tell stories in a positively unique way; Filmmaker Cami Kwan accomplishes that emphatically. PAPER DAUGHTER is such a commanding achievement of animation, utilizing intricate stop motion techniques in telling the story of a young girl immigrating to the United States. There’s such creativity and skill in expressing her fears of becoming someone new while honoring who she is and the sacrifices before her, it’s sublime. The art and production designs are meticulous and awe-inspiring, and the story itself is a compelling interrogation of the bravery and fears inherent to immigration. And everything is synthesized together toward the end of the film in a brilliant piece of sound editing; Just top to bottom this is one of the strongest films I've seen.