"Add it all up, Chang says, and it shows how truly interconnected we are as a people. During an important scene in the film, Lo Ma, played by Jennifer Chia, turns to her daughter and says, "When we meet with other souls, we decide what we'll help each other with on the School of Earth." Holding a soul contract written on an unfurled scroll, Lo Ma continues, "Together, we learn the infinite ways of love.""
"The Nov. 12 screening is part of a larger event called "Come Rest in the Middle," a title derived from The Five Invitations: Discovering What Death Can Teach Us About Living Fully by Frank Ostaseski, a Buddhist teacher and founder of the Zen Hospice Project. In addition to musical performances and a bilingual (Mandarin and English) poetry recital by Chun Yu, the evening includes a screening of Unsung Heroes: Zabrina Deng's Chinatown Portrait Mission by Zabrina Deng, and blood vessel/ fragmented moon by 唄 Uta Tamate Weiss."
Chang explores Pure Land Buddhism and samsāra (reincarnation) alongside the idea of soul contracts as a framework for mutual help and connection. A scene features Lo Ma turning to her daughter and explaining that souls decide how they will help one another on the School of Earth, and that together they learn infinite ways of love. The film is spoken in Cantonese with English subtitles and evokes Chang's upbringing, including a fraught relationship with her mother and renewed ties to San Francisco's Chinatown. Directed by Ujjayini Sikha, the cast includes Natalie Nakamine and Lucia Choi-Dalton. The Nov. 12 event, titled Come Rest in the Middle, pairs the screening with bilingual poetry, musical performances, and additional short films, and Chang performs poetry to create space for contemplation around the film's central themes.
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