Flip Side (2001)

In this satiric comedy-drama, a family of Filipino-Americans find themselves at odds as they simmer at different temperatures in the American melting pot. Mom and Dad Delacruz (Ester Pulido and Abe Pagtama) are a pair of immigrants from the Philippines who settled in Southern California some years ago and have raised three children, now aged from their late teens to early twenties. The Delacruzes are mindful of their cultural heritage but also try to blend in with the mainstream of American culture; their kids, however, each have a different view of where they fit into the world around them. Marivic (Ronalee Par) is intent on erasing her Filipino heritage by adopting a Valley Girl accent, taking on a white boyfriend, and getting plastic surgery to streamline her nose. Davis (Jose Saenz) has immersed himself in African-American culture, embracing hip-hop style and imagining himself as a potential NBA superstar, despite the fact that he stands 5 feet 5 inches. And Daris (Verwin Gatpandan) comes home after his first year of college with a fierce but suddenly developed pride in his ancestry; he insists on wearing a tribal loincloth around the house and speaking in Tagalog at the dinner table, even though grandfather Lolo (Manong Peping Baclig) is the only one who doesn't think he's gone off the deep end. The Flip Side was the first independent feature by a Filipino-American director to enjoy a world premiere at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival.