🎬For Izzy

The narrative unfolds through an intimate, fourth-wall-breaking "faux-documentary" lens, complete with raw talking heads, frantic video diaries, and beautifully stylized animated sequences. The story kicks off when a burnt-out investment banker, Anna (Elizabeth Sung), uproots her life to help her estranged adult daughter, Dede (Michelle Ang), find a stable path to sobriety. Dede is a queer, unemployed photojournalist struggling with chronic pain and a severe opioid addiction following the collapse of her career and a broken engagement to her fiancée.

The two move into a suburban neighborhood and end up right across the street from Peter (Jim Lau), a lonely, widowed accountant, and his high-functioning autistic adult daughter, Laura (Jennifer Soo).

As the two households begin to overlap, unexpected and life-changing connections form. While an endearing middle-aged romance begins to blossom between Anna and Peter, giving them both a rare second chance at personal happiness, an even more profound bond develops between Dede and Laura. Laura intensely yearns for individual autonomy from her protective father, and Dede desperately needs anchor points to maintain her hard-fought sobriety. Together, they form an unlikely but fierce companionship—Laura acts as a vital anchor keeping Dede grounded, while Dede serves as a warm, supportive window to the outside world for Laura. When old trauma and addiction demons threaten to surface, the newly blended unit is pushed to its absolute limits, challenging what it truly means to build a modern family.

💡 Did You Know? 🧠
A Bittersweet Farewell: For Izzy features one of the final onscreen performances by veteran veteran actress Elizabeth Sung (The Joy Luck Club), who tragically passed away shortly after the film completed production in 2018. The indie film community widely celebrated her role as Anna as a beautiful testament to her legacy.

Massive Festival Sweep: The feature was an absolute darling on the independent circuit, cleaning up major trophies including the Grand Jury Prize for Best U.S. Narrative Feature at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival and the Audience Award at Frameline 42.

Mixed-Media Magic: Director Alex Chu intentionally interspersed playful, imaginative animation segments throughout the film to represent the inner thoughts of the characters, beautifully softening the heavy subject matters of addiction, neurodiversity, and parental grief.

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