The Cinematheque

“Establishes a chatty, confiding tone right at the top and follows through, like a long letter from a good friend.”

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Vancouver filmmaker Mina Shum’s seriocomic, semi-autobiographical debut feature was one of the most talked about Canadian films of the 1990s. Future Grey’s Anatomy and Killing Eve star Sandra Oh, here still an up-and-comer, has the lead in Shum’s spirited tale of a young Chinese Canadian woman torn between her own wants and needs and the expectations of her more traditional parents. Oh plays Jade, an aspiring actress still living at home. To keep the peace, she agrees to let her parents set her up with a nice Chinese boy, but soon finds herself falling for Mark (Callum Keith Rennie, also in an early role), a non-Asian grad student. Oh won a Genie for her infectious performance.

In English and Cantonese with English subtitles

“[Shum’s] directorial outlook is fresh, giving Double Happiness real warmth and a light, savvy touch … Oh’s performance makes Jade a smart, spiky heroine you won’t soon forget.”

Janet Maslin, The New York Times

“Nominated for seven Genies, Mina Shum’s first feature shone a spotlight on Sandra Oh, star in the making, as well as on the director-writer. A deft coming of age story with both humour and heart.”

Harry Killas