THE STORY – In Miami, the resourceful Zhang siblings—Raymond and Coco—sell forged paintings to unsuspecting parties. Despite their thriving underground operation, the siblings are still short on cash when they cross paths with disgraced millionaire Holden Beaumont. Sensing an opportunity to make a fortune, Holden convinces the Zhangs to forge long lost masterpieces as a front for his family’s collection. Meanwhile, FBI Art Crimes agent Emily Lee moves from New York to Miami, discovering a plethora of forgeries cropping up in the South Florida art market. As Emily continues to investigate the Zhang siblings’ work, their lives converge to devastating effect in the Zhang family dim sum restaurant.
THE CAST – Kelly Marie Tran, Andie Ju, Brandon Soo Hoo, Edmund Donovan, Eva De Dominici, T. R. Knight, Jack Falahee & Sonya Walger
THE TEAM – Jing Ai Ng (Director/Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 114 Minutes
Not all crimes are created equal. Although the law would disagree (or at least pretend to), some illegal actions are undoubtedly considered more dignified or legitimate based on the assumed pedigree of the misdeed. Crimes revolving around fine works of art are about as fancy as lawbreaking gets. “Forge,” the new film from writer-director Jing Ai Ng, peers into the hidden realm of art forgery (which, as the main forger clarifies, is different than creating fake works of art – there’s a more refined process involved in trying to pass off a piece as an artist’s previously-unseen work). But rather than depicting what one might expect such a world to look like – expensive cars, European beaches, and the like – “Forge” focuses on a pair of criminals who are decidedly more blue-collar, who use their unassuming nature as a cover to evade detection. The film is slick and well-constructed, but much like a supposed work of fine art painted on a craft store canvas, it’s simply not as profound or elevated as it wants to be.
The film focuses on the sister-brother pair of Coco (Andie Ju) and Raymond (Brandon Soo Hoo). They live in Miami, where Raymond works as an attendant at a fancy resort, and Coco helps her mother (Dawn Ying Yuen) at the restaurant she owns. But they’ve started to focus on making more cash more quickly by passing off forged works of art (created by Coco, who has a genuine talent for painting) and selling them to fine art appraisers. Their abilities attract the attention of Holden Beaumont (Edmund Donovan), a local playboy with more money and assets than he knows what to do with. He recently inherited a substantial collection of fine art from his grandfather’s estate, but, seemingly unaware of the propensity for Floridian properties to flood, he stored them in his basement, where they were damaged beyond recognition. He recruits Coco and Raymond to help create reconstructions of the paintings in order to sell them. At the same time, an FBI agent named Emily (Kelly Marie Tran) has been called to Florida to investigate the recent spike in art forgeries, making her a threat to the siblings’ underground operation.
“Forge” has all the trappings of a high-stakes crime thriller. It’s got sleek cinematography and efficient editing that call to mind the late 2000s/early 2010s work of David Fincher. The score by Ian Chang and Marco Carrión is even reminiscent of Fincher’s frequent collaborators Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, with its dark, propulsive electronic sound. The performances are almost all directed towards underplaying emotions, which maximizes the film’s cool, detached energy. Unfortunately, all of this focused filmmaking leads to the movie feeling disengaged. In particular, the sibling relationship between Coco and Raymond feels curiously underexplored. And outside of some brief, ironic observations about Coco using her apparent artistic skills for ill rather than genuine creation (at one point, Holden straightforwardly asks her, “Do you ever feel bad about faking art when you’re clearly an artist yourself?”), it feels like a missed opportunity for the film to not comment much on the class discrepancies that allow some to pursue art as a career while others must either stick to it as a hobby or, like Coco, find alternative ways of exploiting their gifts.
Ju brings a natural innocence to Coco that makes it easy to see why she would be underestimated by those in more elevated societal or monetary positions. Coco uses this to her advantage, and Ju smartly leans into this quality, even when backed against the wall. Soo Hoo’s natural charm and likability are similarly smartly deployed in his portrayal of Raymond, who uses these gifts to make connections and get ahead. Unfortunately, neither of the two actors fully delves into the dramatic depths required in later scenes where more is asked of them emotionally. It may be that they were directed in such a way as not to give into full histrionics, which totally makes sense for the film, but it still feels as if both performers are conserving their energy rather than playing into the high-stakes of their characters’ circumstances.
Kelly Marie Tran portrays a character who, like the criminals she’s unknowingly pursuing, is underestimated by those around her – in her case, it’s her fellow FBI agents who are shown to be uninterested in her realm of expertise. Tran is excellent at playing up the tired, lonesome characterization of Emily while never betraying the film’s removed tone. She’s also able to suddenly switch into a more authoritative mode, making sure those around her and, thus, the audience never forget that she’s still a federal agent. In a small but impactful performance, T.R. Knight plays an art dealer who’s screwed over by Coco and Raymond early in the film. He plays up his character’s slimy qualities, which smartly makes it hard for the viewers to feel too bad for him, which is essential to keep the siblings sympathetic.
Undoubtedly, the film’s most fascinating element is how it shows the actual process of creating forged art. What Coco does to make the paintings appear legit is essentially an art form of its own. She uses unexpected materials, like pins and coffee, to make the art appear appropriately worn. And, of course, she must use actual painting skills in order to create a passable piece, even if it’s made in a way that means it will literally fall apart when properly assessed. Similarly, “Forge” is more interesting when viewed for the individual elements that make it up rather than as a finished, assembled creation. It’s a quiet thriller that doesn’t have the profundity to make it past a full examination.
