LUCKY LU Discovery

Following his Grand Jury Prize for Live Action Short at AFI FEST 2023, filmmaker Lloyd Lee Choi returns with his visceral feature debut. Set amidst the cutthroat streets of New York City’s Chinatown, Lu (Chang Chen) is a delivery driver who has waited five long years to welcome his wife and daughter from China. Working overtime, he’s scrounged up just enough cash to cover the deposit and first month rent for a small apartment. But the day before they are due to arrive, his e-bike gets stolen and his security deposit goes missing — forcing Lu on a desperate journey to take back what’s his. Chen — best known for his work with Wong Kar Wai and Hou Hsiao-hsien — won acclaim at this year’s Cannes Film Festival for his magnetic performance in this tense social realist drama about the cost of the American Dream. –Josh Gardner