In front Cover (An American Chinese Couple)

A skillfully written and acted gay love story about two young men of Chinese ancestry, Ray Yeung’s “Front Cover” has a title that evokes the differences in its main characters. Ryan (Jake Choi), a New York fashion stylist, aims his energies toward the front covers of magazines. Ning (James Chen), a movie star from China, also projects himself into the public eye, but uses his image as something else—a cover for his real self.

The film begins by immersing us in Jake’s world, where openly gay men are the rule rather than the exception. He works hard styling models for photo shoots, and though he seems to be climbing the career ladder adroitly, it’s clear he’s not completely established yet: one misstep and he could go hurtling downward again.

That’s why every job is a challenge, and the assignment to style Ning, an Asian star hoping to break into the American market, is particularly tricky. Ning’s handler tells Ryan that Ning has already fired one stylist, and now he definitely wants one with a Chinese background. But Ryan obviously doesn’t consider himself particularly Chinese, and when he meets Ning for the first time in a Chinatown restaurant, the situation seems designed to thwart rather than establish communication: the star has brought a boisterous, obsequious entourage with him and forces endless amounts of food on everyone.

The entourage creates an immediate barrier the next time the two meet, forcing Ryan to say that he can only work with the star if they can interact one-on-one. Ning gives way on that front, but soon has his own objection: he doesn’t like that Ryan is so open about his “homo side.”