My directorial work explores the Asian American experience, connection, intimacy, and its effects on those involved — and Mis Perfect is no exception. Telling this universal story of perfection and self-worth through an AAPI lens is a necessary tool in healing this shared, generational trauma.

 

In early July of 2022, a group of diverse filmmakers, most of whom are Bay Area professionals in the industry, came together to make -- you guessed it-- a movie!

In our case, a dark comedy, coming-of-age short called, "Mis Perfect"!

 

 

Let me introduce myself! My name is Jessica Le and I'm the writer & director of "Mis Perfect".

For a long time, I was a people-pleaser, trying to gain affection from others by acts of service, rather than letting them get to know me. I realized that I didn’t want people to really know me, cause I felt flawed and thought that was not worthy of love, but this also caused my personal relationships to struggle because I was so closed off. 

Truth is, I strongly identified with Camille, in that she thinks affection is earned, and that she can keep putting on this facade to keep from being vulnerable.

 

Camille believes that the title of Ms. Perfect will win her affection from her mom, but when this is not the case, she soon learns that she will do some... not ideal things in her pursuit of perfection, that will put her relationship with her mom and her best friend at risk.

She is not completely alone however, she has Francesca, Camille's BFFFE (Best Friend For...Ever) who is best described as outgoing and bratty, but a whole lot of fun and love; family and friends are her priority...school, not so much. She is an embodiment of many people I’ve admired and adored throughout the years, that are unapologetically authentic, yet so loving and loved!

 

"Mis Perfect" is a Coming-of-Age Dark Comedy because I think we like to look back and romanticize the past by remembering only the good things, and I think it’d be fun to show the bad times alongside the nostalgia.

In order to better create this feeling of nostalgia, Ashley Valenzuela, our talented Director of Photography and I decided to film "Mis Perfect" on 16mm film to bring the audience back in time with us, and to remember their youth. We felt that the medium was perfect to show the grittier side of adolescence, with the imperfections of the film reflecting the imperfections of character, and how there is beauty to be found in these flaws.

To see some clips of what we've shot and to get a better idea of the look & feel of "Mis Perfect", be sure to check out our campaign video above! :-)

 

These days, social media plays a huge part in individual self expression & identity and because most of these platforms run off of an exchange of content for likes/reactions, one can feel the need to constantly perform, or to seem perfect 24/7.

This act of curation and filtering oneself can lead to the mindset where if you are flawed, you are not worthy of being loved. This idea where your achievements mark your self-worth is not new to children of immigrant families and more specifically, 1st Generation Asian Americans. I wanted to show Mis Perfect through this Asian American lens as I believe this new representation is a necessary tool in healing our shared generational trauma.

"Mis Perfect" was made to serve as a reminder to be kinder to oneself and your struggles, be open and vulnerable with those around you with your emotions & mental health, and allow for imperfections.

"Mis Perfect" is a collaboration between cast and crew, majority of whom were POC and WOC. We strongly believe in and encourage diversity and inclusion in front of and behind the camera and believe it helps us uniquely shape the story to be more authentic, diverse, and varied with different perspectives on problem solving/how to communicate & present the story.

Having majority AAPI & Latine representation in our heads of departments, we commit to creating and authentically telling this underrepresented story from all departments: from cinematography to art and wardrobe.

 

And even though we made it through principal photography and can't wait to show the world our results... RECORD SCRATCH (OS) The reality of post-production is... well, real.

 

 

Which brings us to why we, and you, are here on this page. Surprise! We are crowdfunding and we need your help to take us past the finish line and bring all our hard work to fruition.

 

 

By doing at least one--and if you're feeling extra awesome, all-- of these steps, you're on your way to helping our team bring "Mis Perfect" to life.

1. Follow us on Instagram @_misperfect instagram.com/_misperfect

2. Share our campaign page: www.seedandspark.com/fund/misperfect

3. Contribute any amount to our crowdfunding campaign, as every pledge counts!

 

So yes, there is more work to be done, which is also expensive work, but with your support and belief in our story, we can bring "Mis Perfect"--through the final stages of post production-- out into the world!!!

 

SO. EXCITING. <3

From all of the "Mis Perfect" team,