Cardboard Casserole

“Every time I nod off into a dream, I’m always running, trying to escape something.”

Cardboard Casserole (2020)

Stir-crazy Flora dreams of one day escaping her ramshackle home; little does she know it may be what's on the outside that she needs escaping from.

Cardboard Casserole encompasses three generations of Vietnamese women. Flora, unable to understand why her mother has left, lashes out at her grandma by sneaking out on a regular basis. On her birthday, a mysterious call and a curious cardboard cat, prompt Flora to escape through the cardboard door in her room. Once out, she runs into haunting figures that reveal to her, her own repressed sentiments on her broken relationships. Waking up after what turns out to be nightmare, Flora's birthday dinner is interrupted by her estranged mother who attempts to make amends. Unable to move on, Flora chastises her mother for all the years lost and her mother leaves, unable to bear the shame. In a final move, the cat leaves as well.

Written and Directed by Tammy Trinh
Produced by Brandon Estrella and Thomas Shin
Starring: Mai Khw, Thanh Nguyen, Tiffany Chen, and Zach Kalentbach
Director of Photography: Dominic Arcelin
Production Design by Elise Blankenhorn
Edited by Tammy Trinh
Sound Design by Annie Villalobos