As much as we might deny it, fetishisation is real, it can be harmless but it can also be incredibly damaging, and when correctly rendered onscreen a particularly uneasy viewing experience. As a huge fan of films which explore topics that make us uncomfortable, Naomi Christie’s forthright AFI thesis film Object of Desire, a dark comedy ignited by the Vietnamese-American writer/director’s ceaseless experiences and observations of the hyper-sexualization of Asian women and associated disturbing links to sexual violence, instantly drew my interest. However, despite many well worn approaches to the subject, Christie’s film doesn’t depict the coercion of women who are forced into this line of work, but rather those who choose it as a way to turn the tables by financially exploiting the perpetrators of ‘yellow fever’ objectification. Object of Desire lets us tag along with its seen it all crew of empowered women as they descend into the garish flamboyant neon suffused environment of an underground karaoke club. The music pulses through your veins, a shifting array of clientele and partygoers cycle through the evening, and be sure to keep an eye out for the imaginative inclusion of a Hentai kink within an astutely placed animated sequence. With Object of Desire premiering on the pages of DN today, we speak to Christie about the micro-aggressions in the script being solidly rooted in reality, capturing the women’s confident power as they sashay into the eerie underbelly of their nightlife working world and utilising the palpable texture of 16mm film.
Fetishisation, whilst it has its place, can be incredibly dehumanising especially when it comes to the hyper-sexualisation of race, what made you want to delve into that subject matter?
When it came time to make my thesis film at the American Film Institute Conservatory, I was particularly intrigued by the idea of telling a story around the hyper-sexualization of Asian women. Have you ever thought about how your racial identity could be some dude’s fantasy? I thought what could make the story more interesting is perhaps also exploring commodifying beauty or sex/sex appeal. I had learned recently about these underground karaoke clubs in LA and was really fascinated. I was interested in uncovering the camouflaged nightlife of the Los Angeles karaoke bar scene – this rich underbelly of a beast in my own backyard. This is where the thick of our protagonist’s story takes place. It’s a world that is both shrilly vivid and dismally muffled. A world with the smokey juxtaposition of fashionable women and crude underground grit. Object of Desire invites you into this world to explore a subject matter that is rarely discussed and a realm that is never depicted.
It’s a world that is both shrilly vivid and dismally muffled. A world with the smokey juxtaposition of fashionable women and crude underground grit.
How did you bring together the right team of collaborators to work with you on this?
It’s rewarding to bring a story to people and have it resonate with them in any capacity, but the way people came together for Object of Desire was truly special. My producers, Seb Steinberger and Shunchao Xu, championed me in ways I am so grateful for. We made a point to enjoy the ride despite the very stressful endeavour of making a thesis film at such a competitive and prestigious conservatory. And despite all being incredibly different in personalities and backgrounds, we respected and celebrated each others’ tastes. My cinematographer, Gregorio Acuña, and I had an unwavering passion for punchy visual storytelling. We met at bookstores and looked through coffee table books and gawked at the colors in a Christopher Doyle book.
We decided we needed to shoot Object of Desire on 16mm film. We were one of the few films in our class to shoot on film and were advised not to because of how much more expensive and harder it was going to be. The team supported this decision and we had to very much fight for it. My production designer, Zoe Ouyang, had effortless style in everything she did and offered wonderful ideas that elevated the cinematography and direction. My editor, Edward Tianze, was effortlessly cool. I need to highlight this because his approach to editing had flare beyond the technical. Everyone contributed a part of themselves that reflected their effortlessly unique taste. And as students, we still had a lot to learn, and a lot of experience to gain still – but what I can say we all absolutely had to summit was impeccable taste.
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There is a genuine authenticity to the grittiness that lies beneath the sheen of this world. How did you and Deanna Esposito undergo your research and make sure it all felt authentic?
I have several friends who have been karaoke girls or at least tried it out for a night so I asked them about it. It’s fairly easy to find the job listing on Craigslist. My co-writer, Deanna, and I found a listing, reached out, had an interview and soon we were ushered off into a van that took us around Koreatown to various karaoke clubs. We didn’t actually try to book any rooms, we would just walk in and out of the rooms once dropped off. It was rather quick. It was a great way to take in the world. The reality is that if you live in an expensive city like LA, a job like this is not as unorthodox as you might think. There are all walks of life who inhabit that world, either as a girl or as the clientele.
“Where are you REALLY from?” “What’s your nationality?” “What does it taste like…Szechuan sauce?” are just a few of the vile questions these women must, unfortunately, be so accustomed to. I’m assuming you had a plethora of gross phrases to draw from.
Every derogatory remark or micro-aggression in the script is rooted in reality – these are all things either I or friends have heard. The question “Where are you from?” might seem innocuous, but it often serves as a gateway to more micro-aggressions. As an Asian-American woman, my experiences with dating and romance have always been intertwined with my identity. After encountering countless men with ‘yellow fever’, it’s impossible to not wonder if I’m being courted for who I am as an individual. Fetishization means the depersonalization of Asian women and this depersonalization, this fetishization, was something I wanted to portray.
There’s a raw, intimate quality that 16mm brings, a texture that’s almost palpable.
The film’s colours are vivid and visually spectacular neons. What gear did you equip yourselves with to take us on this journey into the underbelly?
We shot this on 16mm which was so exciting. Shooting on film, especially with a limited budget, requires a heightened level of precision and intention. My DP, Gregorio, is a master with 16mm. There’s a raw, intimate quality that 16mm brings, a texture that’s almost palpable. 16mm was the perfect choice to convey the gritty yet vibrant world we were depicting. It forces you to be present, to be deliberate with every shot. In this way, 16mm became a character in its own right. I love the vivid colors too, so thank you! We had so much fun with the colors. We lit nearly the entire film with LED tube lights. Big fans of Asteras here.
Tell us about the filming and editing of that central club scene where Vivien’s being initiated into the world.
The descent into the club was conceived as a modern day strut into the underworld. I love that tracking shot of the girls walking through the lobby into the hall. They are fully aware they’re stepping into a gritty, alternate reality, but they also know they are the ones who make it special. It’s about claiming one’s space in a world that seeks to define you. Vivien looks constantly to Piper, following her lead. We get to see Piper take her under her wing and empower her despite Vivien’s nervousness or apprehension.
This moment also allowed us to graze media that has contributed to the subjugation she feels.
The moment the ecstasy hits and you incorporate animation and video games is genius.
I wish we could have had more animation! The concept of the ‘Hentai girl’ kink fascinated me. I wanted to take a moment to explore it through Vivien’s hallucinatory experience. While ecstasy doesn’t induce hallucinations, it was a creative license to visually represent how her drug-induced state added to her disorientation. This moment also allowed us to graze media that has contributed to the subjugation she feels. It’s like merging past subconscious traumas with her present reality.
I really loved the way in which we see her story unfold through flashbacks, club scenes, and surreal moments of hallucinatory imagination. Was it a struggle mapping out the construction of these various elements in the final film?
Surprisingly, it wasn’t much of a struggle. From the outset, the script was designed to mirror Vivien’s sense of displacement, with a non-linear structure that reflects her fragmented reality. During editing we experimented as well, and our editor, Edward Tianze Sun, contributed brilliant ideas that enhanced the original script. We did face a significant setback when an entire roll of film was lost. However, Edward worked wonders in the editing room, seamlessly compensating for the missing footage. I doubt anyone watching the film would ever notice those lost scenes.
What are you working on next?
I’m currently writing my first feature while making other passion projects. I’m just finishing post on another short film – a dark comedy inspired by my own personal grief and heartbreak. It’s pretty scrappy, made with no budget but maybe you’ll see it here on Directors Notes in the near future!
