The Other, Gold

Sometimes an old friend and a bowl of ramen are as good as gold. Farrah Henry (Sharaé Nikai) has dealt with a series of f*cked up blows. She has first world problems (ramen shortages) and real world ones (Omicron 2.0), but as both worlds open back up, so does her heart to the idea of reconnecting with a long time gal pal. Battling grief and “pandemmy” isolation in Little Tokyo isn’t for the faint of heart, and Farrah will need to learn valuable lessons to see through the reclamation act on herself. A directorial debut sure to captivate the minds and hearts of many, Nikai and co-director David Lassiter set forth on a wild ride through downtown LA that has trappings familiar in nature and also wildly new. The former proves a force to be reckoned with on the page, behind the camera and on screen, leading the charge on a project daring in scope and pointed in execution. Here our filmmakers pull in tightly on a palpable sense of human desire and need for connection that will leave audiences buzzing. (Tribeca Film Festival)