East Bay

synopsis

East Bay is a new comedy by Daniel Yoon and starring Constance Wu about the pressure to be successful, happy, and special. The film follows several unmarried professionals in the San Francisco Bay Area who grew up believing anything is possible, and that an ordinary life is a meaningless life. But now in their thirties and forties, they realize they're failing in their careers, in their relationships, and financially. Sara copes by practicing mindfulness, Stuart with video games, Tim with cannabis, and Vivanti by being a minor celebrity guru. And Jack makes offensive short films. He knows he's failed his immigrant parents. But frantically trying to be successful at this point would just be pitiful. So with Vivanti's guidance he half-heartedly pursues spirituality as a face-saving solution, and in the process unexpectedly throws the others' lives into upheaval.