Eric Byler Movies

A carpenter buckling under the weight of fatherhood, a crumbling marriage, and an expensive mortgage strives to balance his own wants and needs against that of a struggling friend in this story of an ordinary man suffering through uncertain times. To the casual observer, Wayne has everything a man his age could ever want - a large home, healthy children, and a beautiful wife. But lately Wayne has grown tired of the emotional complexities of adulthood. His wife is becoming less stable and the kids seem to control the entire house, two factors that frequently result in Wayne sneaking out to down beers with his newly divorced drinking buddy Leo. Before long, Wayne starts to feel like he's become a casual observer of someone else's miserable existence. Just when it appears that things can't get any worse for Wayne, however, a violent incident prompts him to reassess his idea of the ever-elusive American Dream. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Writer-director Eric Byler adapted his ensemble comedy-drama Americanese from Shawn Wong's bestselling 1995 roman American Knees. The film, like the novel, dramatizes the seriocomic, day-to-day experiences of a number of Asian American immigrants in the City of Angels. At the story's center is milquetoast-dull, middle-aged college professor and divorcé Raymond Ding (Chris Tashima) - so ineffectual that he barely seems to have control over the events that befall him, and so emotionally distant in his relationship with live-in lover, the Japanese-American photojournalist Aurora (Allison Sie), that his inaccessibility destroys their union. Forced to move out of their house, Raymond instead rooms with his aging father, Wood (Sab Shimono), making periodic, unannounced visits back to Aurora's home when she is absent. While Aurora kindles her own romance with American Steve (Ben Shenkman), Raymond moves into his own apartment and takes up with Vietnamese-American Betty (Joan Chen) - a university associate plagued by deep-seated emotional and mental problems. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

Four twentysomethings living in the hip L.A. suburb of Silverlake struggle with love, lust, and ennui in this independently produced feature, nominated for two 2003 Independent Spirit Awards. Taking its title from the Cure song of the same name, Charlotte Sometimes concerns the shadowy existence of Michael (Michael Idemoto) and Lori (Eugenia Yuan), next-door neighbors who form an intimate -- if sexless -- friendship. Lori, committed to her sexually carnivorous boyfriend, Justin (Matt Westmore), but more emotionally connected to Michael, tries to convince her platonic neighbor to find a girlfriend. Fed up with his unrequited love for Lori, Michael does just that, hooking up with the dark and mysterious Darcy (Jacqueline Kim). But as Michael navigates his budding romance with Darcy, jealousies erupt with the other couple, and the secrets the co-eds withhold from each other threaten to break the two relationships apart. Written, directed, and edited by first-time filmmaker Eric Byler, Charlotte Sometimes had its premiere at the 2002 South by Southwest Film Festival. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide