My Wedding and Other Secrets (2011)

The contemporary story of Chinese New Zealand-born over-achiever Emily Chu, raised to believe she can get anything she puts her mind to. Even if 'anything' is at odds with her traditional ... See full summary »

Director:

Roseanne Liang

Writers:

Roseanne Liang, Angeline Loo

Stars:

Michelle Ang, Matt Whelan, Johnny Barker

2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Michelle Ang	...	Emily
Matt Whelan	...	James
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Johnny Barker	...	Danny
Pei-Pei Cheng	...	Mrs Chu
Todd Emerson	...	Tom
Mark Ferguson	...	Mr White
Mike Ginn	...	Vincent Wong
Roseanne Liang	...	2nd AD
Simon London	...	Eric
Matt MacDougall	...	Audience Member 2
Danielle Mason	...	Justine
Andrew Munro	...	Film Tutor
Novia Ng	...	Film Goer
Hwei Ling Ow	...	Mandarin Teacher
Michael Saccente	...	Fencing Coach

Storyline

The contemporary story of Chinese New Zealand-born over-achiever Emily Chu, raised to believe she can get anything she puts her mind to. Even if 'anything' is at odds with her traditional Hong Kong born parents' wish for her to become a doctor like her two older sisters. Everything is coming up roses - until she meets James, a European New Zealander, and accidentally falls in love with him. But if her father finds out, she will face disownment. By the time Emily realises that she's sacrificing the respect of her family to follow her heart, James, too, has fallen irrevocably in love and there's nothing for it but to try and keep their relationship a secret. Happy endings don't come easy, if at all, but that doesn't mean they don't happen. But for Emily to get one, she needs to show James and her family that she has learned a lesson about the selflessness of love.

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Plot Keywords:

indie movie | five word title | chinese | new zealand | hong kong | 

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Genres:

Romance

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

New Zealand

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 March 2011 (New Zealand)

Also Known As:

Girl Meets Boy

Filming Locations:

Auckland, New Zealand

Company Credits

Production Co:

South Pacific Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

"My Wedding and Other Secrets" was the highest grossing locally made film in New Zealand in 2011.

User Reviews

way better than anticipated - don't be put off by title

i had no idea what to expect from this movie. the title threw me off and i was thinking 'another chick flick' - that is not the case!

what i found was a charming story involving two young adults stumbling into the real world of attraction, love, commitment, and dealing with cultural differences. the director roseanne liang did a marvelous job of pulling these issues together without having one issue overwhelm the others. beautifully acted by the two lead characters and especially michelle ang! her lessons are expressed from the heart - and she learns that the world outside of oneself can appear to be very cold when it is not. it's all in how you perceive it. her boyfriend learns this a bit slower.

my only problem with this movie is the father character. one daughter's love is destroyed by his prejudice but the youngest daughter's love is accepted with little justification. watch the movie and you will understand. the father has no guilt in what he did to the eldest daughter and that point is not addressed in the story. yet, he seems more relaxed with the path the youngest has taken. if he chose to be more 'giving' with his youngest daughter because of the unhappiness suffered by the eldest daughter, then the director failed to clarify that fact.

outside of that conflict i have with this movie, i find it a truly delightful and entertaining film. the ending is a bit 'soft' but i'm willing to overlook that due to the fine and expressive acting by the lead characters.