This week on BEHIND THE LENS, we turn our attention to the Miami art world and first-time feature director JING AI NG with her film FORGE. I thoroughly enjoyed this film from a story perspective and from a directorial and production perspective. As I’ve been seeing in quite a few films of late from first-time feature directors, once again, production values are high, but story and character are at the center of it all. On seeing FORGE, I would never believe that this was Jing’s first feature directorial effort. And she is the screenwriter, as well!
So, what is FORGE about? Set in Miami, we meet the resourceful Zhang siblings—Raymond and Coco— who sell forged paintings to unsuspecting parties. Coco is an artist whose own work is so beautiful that it should be hanging in galleries, something that continues to frustrate her and her dream. Raymond, on the other hand, makes a buck by providing fake IDs, licenses, passports, and other documents, including those that attest to the provenance of works of art. The Zhang family is unaware of what Coco and Raymond are doing, and happily own and run a family Chinese restaurant. Despite their thriving underground operation, the siblings are still short on cash when they cross paths with disgraced millionaire Holden Beaumont. Sensing an opportunity to make a fortune, Holden convinces the Zhangs to forge long-lost masterpieces as a front for his family’s collection. Meanwhile, FBI Art Crimes agent Emily Lee moves from New York to Miami, discovering a plethora of forgeries cropping up in the South Florida art market. As Emily continues to investigate the Zhang siblings’ work, their lives converge to devastating effect in the Zhang family’s dim sum restaurant.
FORGE is written and directed by JING AI NG and stars Kelly Marie Tran, Andie Ju, Brandon Soo Hoo, and Edmund Donovan, among others. Some fabulous artisans showcasing their talents on FORGE, including cinematographer Leo Purman, editor Briana Chmielewski, production designer Arielle Ness-Cohn, and composers Marco Carrion & Ian Chang.
In this exclusive conversation, Jing Ai Ng and I break it all down in this in-depth discussion. What I love about Jing’s origin story of FORGE is that she drew inspiration from the infamous Knoedler Gallery art forgery scandal in New York, particularly focusing on the mysterious Chinese forger who was never apprehended and whose story has never been told. Given that no one has ever heard his side of the Knoedler story, Jing had this fantastic blank canvas of creative freedom to craft a unique narrative centered on Coco, a complex character whose journey in the Miami art world blurs the lines between antagonist and protagonist. As you’ll hear, Jing emphasized how the film invests the audience emotionally in Coco and her family, making viewers care deeply about her motivations and struggles, despite her criminal actions.
The film’s visual style is a standout element, with Jing and cinematographer Leo Purman developing a consistent color palette influenced by Florida’s landscape artists. They collaborated with a local Miami painter to create original artworks for the film, ensuring authenticity and a strong sense of place. Production designer Arielle Ness-Cohn played a crucial role in distinguishing the film’s various worlds: the opulence of Holden Beaumont’s (Edmund Donovan) high-rise life, the warmth and intimacy of the Zhang family’s Chinese restaurant, and the shadowy, expansive warehouse where Coco works. And then there’s the work of editor Brianna Chmielewski, who used visual sequences to convey character development and shift the film’s tone without relying on excessive dialogue. The score, composed by Marco Carrion and Ian Chang, weaves Asian instrumentation with electronic elements, mirroring Coco’s dreamy, internal world and reinforcing the cultural identity of the story. And, of course, we talk casting, particularly since the production did not have leads attached to it at the outset.
Make sure to check out FORGE this week and next!
It’s at the Landmark Nuart in Los Angeles right now and opens in NY at the Quad Cinema this Friday, the 22nd, with a wider rollout thereafter.
BUT I’m not only talking about FORGE today, how about some DUTTON RANCH?? And yes, I did watch the first two episodes four times on Friday, starting at midnight on Paramount+ when it released, and then on linear television at 8pm Friday night on Paramount Network. This is THE series to watch. This is everything you love about “Yellowstone” and more. Fingers crossed for a Season Two announcement sooner rather than later.
Because of the Memorial Day holiday next week, I won’t have a new show for you next Monday. BUT keep checking the website as new stuff is going up all this week, and then starting next week, all of those FYC Emmy interviews I’ve been doing will start popping up. PLUS, Dances With Films is just around the corner, and come June 1st, you’ll start seeing and hearing interviews on some of those films.
So until BTL Radio Show returns on June 1st, stay safe, have a wonderful holiday weekend, and…….May the Force of Grogu be with you always ….
