The last film Canadian director Quentin Lee screened at the Hawaii International Film Festival, his 2009 farce "The People I’ve Slept With," played to an enthusiastic, adult audience. After all, it was a film about a woman who can’t get enough sex.
Lee will return to the festival this week, but with a very different kind of story and a very different audience in mind. His film "White Frog," which was produced by Hawaii’s Chris Lee, is aimed at teenagers and their parents.
"It is designed for an audience of all ages, unlike ‘The People I’ve Slept With,’ which had an R rating," Quentin Lee said recently in a call from L.A. "Thematically it is not really a dark film. It is not too sexual or edgy. It is heartwarming, family-centered material. It is my first film like that."
"White Frog" stars Booboo Stewart of the "Twilight" franchise, Harry Shum Jr. of the TV show "Glee," B.D. Wong of "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit" and the critically acclaimed Joan Chen, whose list of acting credits includes "The Last Emperor" and "Mao’s Last Dancer."
Hawaii actress Kelly Hu also has a part.
Stewart’s character, Nick, is a 14-year-old boy with mild Asperger’s syndrome. When his family suffers a horrible tragedy, Nick discovers secrets about his beloved older brother, played by Shum.
The film unravels those secrets and explores how that process transforms Nick.
The 42-year-old Lee has long been a fan of coming-of-age films, such as the 1986 classic "Stand by Me," which he saw when he was about the same age as Stewart’s character.
But "White Frog" was initially a much darker story, until Chris Lee pushed the director in another direction.
"Chris really pushed me to make a film for a broader audience — to make it more family friendly — and I really appreciate that," Quentin Lee said. "I’m very, very optimistic and excited about this."
Chris Lee, former president of production at TriStar Pictures and Columbia Pictures, doesn’t recall that conversation, but he likes the finished product.
"I work with different directors, and I do encourage them to do different things," he said. "I think it has an important message about tolerance that should reach the largest possible audience."
The filmmakers thought Stewart was an obvious choice for the part of Nick, but the young actor said learning how to act with a mild form of autism was difficult.
"I did a lot of research on YouTube," Stewart said. "I found so many video blogs of people with Asperger’s. It is really great for an actor. They talk about their feelings."
The 18-year-old Stewart will be at the festival screening.
"I think the audience will feel inspired and grateful for what they have," he said. "We were in San Francisco at a festival, and audiences loved it. People were so inspired they came up and said thank you."
"White Frog" will screen 9 p.m. Thursday at the Regal Dole Cannery Stadium 18 Theaters.
And that’s a wrap. …
Mike Gordon is the Star-Advertiser’s film and television writer. Read his Outtakes Online blog at honolulupulse.com. Reach him at 529-4803 or email mgordon@staradvertiser.com.
