Lucy Liu

We've got other ways to exercise literally this demon out of him or, you know, thinking that it's not a real diagnosis, not understanding that it's a medical thing.

And I guess steering it away towards superstition.

And there's a lot of that in our community as well.

Language, as you said, plays a big part in this story.

I want to play a scene that really goes a little bit deeper into the comfort that she feels speaking her own language and also sort of a disconnect with her son over this.

So the scene that I want to play, Irene and her son Joe are having dinner together.

He has gotten in trouble in school, and she's tried to help, but she doesn't know what to do.

And she's asking him questions in Mandarin, but he is answering in English.

And then it all explodes.

Let's listen.

I heard you there in the hallway.

We hear him get up and throw the chopsticks at that point.

He can speak Mandarin.

He chooses not to in that moment.

What's happening in that choice for him and for her?

I think there's just this void somewhere.

between them.

There's this communication where she's trying to reach out and say, if there's anything going on, you have to really think about your choices.

And she's trying to communicate, but it's not really connecting.

And I think that oftentimes happens in families.