The Extra, an independent Australian short film written and directed by Tyler Hong Aun opens in on the protagonist- a young actor Kaylee (Sienna Kang) awaiting her turn to audition for a character of Asian origins. However, soon she finds herself at the mercy of an ignorant Caucasian casting director (Melissa Kang) who begins to rewrite her role and literally recast her through a 'white lens'. As the casting director continually orders Kaylee around, demanding the young woman to infuse the role with problematic ethnic stereotypes and damaging as well as outdated caricaturish portrayals instead of bringing authenticity to the same through her own lived experiences, the actor's frustration only grows.
With noteworthy Hollywood actors such as Scarlett Johansson, Emma Stone, etc having invited the ire of critics and audiences alike in the past for contributing to or partaking in the problematic act of whitewashing and a lack of diversity and authenticity regarding the Asian community in the mainstream too (apart from a select few works such as the critically acclaimed 2022 release 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' or independent features such as 'Minari' further acting instrumental in opening doors for not only inclusivity but also nabbing major awards for their primarily Asian ensemble cast members), the themes of this short film thus feel extremely timely and a breath of fresh air too.
The screenplay and dialogue of 'The Extra' also blends absurdity with the typical Aussie/Kiwi humour that is deliberately cringe and dark, resulting in a highly engaging and sharply satirical takedown of Orientalism and the reductive attitudes that are restrictive to the careers of non-Caucasian creatives who struggle to carve a name for themselves in the industry as a result of such mindsets and misconceptions rearing their ugly head. An instance of the same is especially noticable in a deliberately cringeworthy conversation that takes place between the ignorant casting director and Kaylee in the first half of the film as the former reduces the contribution and accomplishments of the late actor Miyoshi Umeki (who is known as the only Asian actor till date to win an Oscar) to just her accent, much to Kaylee's chagrin!
Despite a low budget, Aun and team have also succeeded at utilising their singular location (an empty and eery room that's barely lit) to its fullest extent, with the simplistic lighting, visual effects and cinematography further enhancing Kaylee's surrealistic out of body experiences as she walks into the room for her audition, initially optimistic as she gleefully envisions herself as a fleshed-out female Asian lead in various exciting and new scenarios, before she is unfortunately sidelined by the narrow-minded viewpoints of the casting director who shoots down the young woman's ideas for better and far less tokenist representation.
If you have a few minutes to spare, I highly recommend checking out this surrealistic short film which is available via 'TK's Studio', the YouTube channel of its creative team. It will certainly leave a memorable impression and an impact with its message as well as with its creative vision and execution.
By
Vidal D'Costa
(Vidal D'Costa is a self published author in scifi and romance in both print and digital on major platforms. A blogger who was bit by the writing bug at age 15, she has since branched out as a freelance content writer as well as a film critic/journalist who occasionally moonlights as an indie filmmaker herself. Her work as a poet has been featured in a plethora of anthologies and her short films have been showcased at various global film festivals)