Short Film Review: ‘Gay, Asian, Immigrant’ – Living Between Lies and Identity.

Ushmey Chakraborty’s short film, ‘Gay, Asian, Immigrant‘, explores the complexities of the experience of dealing with a society that forces you into boxes that you may never have chosen for yourself.

Framed as a sharp, situational comedy, the film follows Ravi, a gay Asian immigrant caught in the tangled web of his own adaptive behaviour. He finds himself navigating the delicate balance between impressing his new boyfriend and keeping his true self hidden from a work colleague, who unexpectedly threatens to expose his constructed persona.

This short narrative dives headfirst into the tensions of identity, code-switching, and the compromises that often come with ambition.

When the film starts, we see Ravi (played by Ushmey Chakraborty himself) enjoying a tender, intimate conversation with Ben (played by Dre Matthews). The two are new lovers who are on the cusp of taking their new relationship further by finally getting intimate. You can see the chemistry and can also feel the anticipation and vulnerability from both of them. This moment in the story breathes with the simplicity of human desire and budding love.

But their moment is ruined when Cheryl (played by Janet Carter), Ravi’s team leader, shows up unannounced. Immediately, Ravi’s demeanour shifts. He leans fully into the stereotypes of Indian identity. The performance he gives takes Ben by surprise, as he has not seen this side of him before. He knows Ravi to be the son of a millionaire. This reveals the very core of the film’s theme. People often have to adopt or sometimes accept to navigate social expectations.

Cheryl presses Ravi to recount the sob story he used to secure his job, a moment that further suppresses his authenticity. Ben’s reaction is one of visible disgust. It is not just at Ravi’s pretence toward Cheryl, but at the broader implications of lying about oneself to succeed.

Ushmey Chakraborty‘s writing smartly positions Ben as a person of colour who understands the pressures of being stereotyped, which adds nuance to his judgment. And this makes his frustrations even more weighted. Ben sees Ravi‘s actions as deceitful, especially for a gay man who is hiding himself. But regardless of how genuine Ravi’s reasons seem, it still raises the question about the extent to which it is acceptable to indulge in degrading stereotypes to achieve personal or professional goals.

Creatively, the short is economical yet effective. The opening scenes between Ravi and Ben are bathed in bright, dreamy colours, mirroring the optimism and vulnerability of their connection. When Cheryl arrives, the palette shifts, subtly draining away the vibrancy and signalling the intrusion of reality and deception. This visual storytelling, though simple, reinforces the emotional stakes without ever being heavy-handed. Every choice, from the colour design to the character dynamics, contributes to the central exploration of identity, agency, and consequence. By the end, the story leaves the audience reflecting not just on Ravi’s decisions, but on the broader pressures society places on individuals to perform, conform, and sometimes betray themselves for acceptance or success.

I will score this short film 3 out of 5 stars. It is a compact yet potent film. It doesn’t try to be more than it needs to be, but it does remain an intentional exploration of choice, compromise, and moral complexity, all told through humour, visual style, and sharply observed character moments. In less than 15minutes, Ushmey Chakraborty crafts a story that sparks reflection, conversation, and perhaps a little discomfort, an achievement for any filmmaker. I would love to see this story expanded in a feature-length to see how far Ravi is willing to take the pretence and how it affects the relationships around him.