Filmmaker Statement

One's cultural identity is inseparable from their emotional connection to a particular group. Many immigrants struggle with balancing their own culture with the new one they find themselves in, feeling like "strangers in a foreign land," which can lead to cultural confusion. In this situation, some immigrants may choose to abandon their own culture and embrace the new one in order to assimilate into society. Even then, there are still prejudices against these ethnic minority immigrants, who are thought not to actively integrate into American culture. Suzie is a microcosm of the immigrant community, feeling anxious and confused about her cultural identity, unable to sleep at night, and wanting to rid herself of her cultural stigma. Language is an important part of the immigrant community's integration into society. The film's Chinese title is "眠" which means "sleep" in English, hinting at the protagonist's insomnia and her search for inner peace after accepting her cultural identity.