Program Note
Jessica is a young woman on the run, doing any odd jobs she can find to hide out, wanting to reach the Canadian borders. Elsa is an agent with debilitating health assigned to track her down. With each unusual development involving Jessica, the surprising relationship between the two and the reasons behind their actions become evident. Will Jessica reach Canada? Will Elsa finish her task?
New Life is a directorial feature debut by John Rosman, who skillfully creates a cat-and-mouse narrative to unfold a parallel story of two women at hazard, each with trauma and paranoia. This genre-bending thriller features excellent performances by the cast, especially from the two female leads, Hayley Erin as Jessica and always delightful Sonya Walger as Elsa. The ending result is a sound statement on the arrival of new creative talent in Mr. Rosman. (Jongsuk Thomas NAM)