See You Next Time uses the beauty industry as a stage to examine the relationship between East Asian and Black women. Through the voice of a nail technician and her client, the film focuses on how women from these communities overtly and covertly bring their experiences with race and foreignness into this self-care routine.
Located between a newly instated independent bookstore and African-Caribbean market, the film presents an intimate portrait of Fancy Nail and Spa in Flatbush, Brooklyn. A serene getaway for the neighborhoods predominately Black residents, it is here that we meet Judy, a Fujianese immigrant and beloved nail technician and Arrianna, a Direct Care Counselor and Judy’s loyal client.
Expressed as a dialogue between two seemingly familiar women of color, the film is an inquiry into what is gained, and lost, from intimacy without context. Presented as a short form concept that ruminates on these moments through poetically choreographed scenes, this project has the strong potential to develop into a longer work.
At its core See You Next Time is a story about how two women see each other and themselves in a space unlike anything else in their world. And through Judy and Arrianna’s own words, much is revealed about the way they connect across the nail salon table.