About the Project
In a rhapsodic journey to find the true American Identity, The American Rhapsody follows the green card love story between Leona and Jacque, and whoever is lurking in the shadows! Born and raised in rural China, and an aspiring actress, Leona is a transgender woman with a heart-full of ambition and a will of gold to achieve her American Dream. Jacque, on the other hand, is a fresh graduate out of music school and is being hit hard by reality, and is slowly bowing down to corporate America and sweeping his artistic hopes and dreams under the rug. In a fateful meeting, Leona offers Jacque to marry her so she could become a US Citizen. With the annual price of $50,000, paid out of Leona’s tuition fund, Leona and Jacque will be married for three years, until Leona gets her blue passport. While Jacque initially went into this thinking that this is purely traansactional, Leona caught feelings from the get go. And throughout their time together, Jacque is also slowly pulled in by her charm. But being a cisgender straight man, Jacque could not bring himself to truly love Leona: he doesn’t allow himself to. He falls in love with another woman, a cisgender woman. He creates a parallel love story with his true lover, Esmeralda, to act out in front of the US government with Leona. Their first appearance for the marriage interview was, however, not successful, as the USCIS subsequently requested a Stokes interview for the wedded couple. While Leona has been lying to her parents for money, Jacque feels trapped by this “marriage” and grows resentful towards Leona. Esmeralda tempted him to break free from this contract. He no longer wants to bind himself to the money, and made the hard decision to divorce Leona. This decision, however, has a more severe consequence for Leona. How will the duo navigate the blurred borders between logic, morality, and romantic feelings in this immigrant-hostile America? Will Leona finally unveil her American Dream to be something hollow, empty, cold, and cruel?
Production Team
