Directed by Sebastien Tobler, the romantic drama This Time will screen at the 46th Asian American International Film Festival on Saturday July 29 in New York City.
This Time centers around two mixed race characters who struggle to find their place in the world. Sebastien Tobler himself, is of mixed race background and drew inspiration directly from Maria P. P. Root’s Bill of Rights for People of Mixed Heritage.
Starring in the film are Ken Kirby, Leila Perry, Michael Strassner, Diane Robin, Carlos Carrasco, Mitch Narito, and Earl Baylon
This Time follows Laela Sagan and Colin Lang, two high school sweethearts separated during the 1998 riots in Jakarta, Indonesia, who unexpectedly reunite in LA for one day 23 years later.
A sculptor at the top of her game, Laela travels the world engaging in art and philanthropy but will never admit to her loneliness or its impact on her work.
Meanwhile, Colin is packing up his house in East LA, finalizing his family’s move to Pennsylvania, where he’ll become a stay-at-home dad and support his wife’s career. Despite not wanting to relocate, he’d rather leave than be left behind.
Their reunion is confusing at first but immediately they remember the joys of being together and, despite their best judgement, spend the day together.
As the star-crossed lovers examine the choices that led them down their separate paths and back again, Laela and Colin must decide if they’re still in love or just nostalgic for the past.
Is it possible to remember only the good experiences without the bad? Will they reignite what could’ve been at the cost of the present?
Sebastien Tobler said, “This is a story that will resonate with anyone who has ever felt torn between the past and the future, the familiar and the unknown, grounding them in an emotional journey that will linger long after the final credits have rolled. My hope is that the film fuses with the audience in a way that it becomes their own experience, their own memory.”
Watch the official trailer for This Time.