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Based on the article by Paul Kix regarding a true event that took place in Southern California in 2016, filmmaker Sing J. Lee directs and co-writes with Christopher Chen, his latest film THE ACCIDENTAL GETAWAY DRIVER.
Lee is surprised by the Sundance Film Festival 2023 Award for Best Director in the U.S. Dramatic Competition. I attended the awards ceremony this year which was a privilege. Overwhelmed at the presentation of the award, Lee was deeply humbled and honored to receive the jury's kind accolades.
Lee shares, "I was drawn to the story because of the multi-faceted dynamics portrayed with emotions and interactions of four individuals that fall between the cracks when each feels forgotten."
Among the film festivals for which I am accredited, one of my main goals is to try and find that special Indie film that is a sincere surprise discovery to its quality of storytelling. The Sundance Film Festival programmers did their due diligence and found such a film in THE ACCIDENTAL GETAWAY DRIVER.
Lee and Chen had the right goods to pitch their project to an exceptional list of producers from Thunder Road and K Period Media who all signed-on to support this amazing story: Kimberly Steward--THROUGH A LENS DARKLY & MANCHESTER BY THE SEA; Basil Iwanyk--THE TOWN & A STAR IS BORN; Andy Sorgie--MANCHESTER BY THE SEA; and Joseph Hieu.
Joseph and his family escaped from South Vietnam on a fishing boat in the ‘70s. A Catholic Sister who saw acting potential in Joseph, while teaching him English, sent him to an acting audition when he was 12 or 13 years old. He worked as an actor in the ‘80s but prior to that he worked as an Interpreter for the AD Department and for background on APOCALYPSE NOW. Joseph's journey into the industry is a hopeful tale and he is proud to step into the role as a producer in THE ACCIDENTAL GETAWAY DRIVER.
Synopsis:
A Southern California driver of Vietnamese decent, Long Mã (Hiệp Trần Nghĩa) receives a call for a pick-up. It's late in the evening and Long Mã is reluctant to take the job, but figures it will be a quick transport and obliges.
Little does Long Mã know that this night will be a life altering journey for him and those he transports.
Long Mã picks up three men, Vietnamese Tây Dương (Dustin Nguyễn), Vietnamese Eddie Ly (Phi Vũ) and Aden Salhi (Dali Benssalah) and drives them to their desired destination. The men ask Long Mã to wait. Upon their return the men ask Long Mã to take them to another location. He refuses but to no avail and is held at gunpoint in order to assist them further. Long Mã is elderly and trapped.
The news alerts the community that three men have escaped from the Orange County jail and are on the run. Quiet, meek-and-mild mannered, Long Mã now appears to be the three jail birds' getaway driver.
Days pass while in hiding and natural conversations arise in the Vietnamese language among Tây Dương and Long Mã. Stories are exchanged of their pasts—both hard and heartfelt. Each man's story builds upon the other noting how often one feels forgotten in a land not their own.
Aside from the remarkable screenplay, Lee's cinematography delightfully captures an authenticity relatable to situational fear, trauma, humor and often warmth.
An unprecedented road trip alters the future of each man. Not one of them could have foreseen the impact.