BTL Radio Show - 05/18/2026 with special guest writer/director JING AI NG discussing FORGE

This week on BEHIND THE LENS, we turn our attention to the Miami art world and first-time feature director Jing Ai Ng with her film FORGE.  I thoroughly enjoyed this film from a story perspective and from a directorial and production perspective.  As I’ve been seeing in quite a few films of late from first-time feature directors, once again, production values are high, but story and character are at the center of it all.  On seeing FORGE, I would never believe that this was Jing’s first feature directorial effort.  And she is the screenwriter, as well!

 

So, what is FORGE about?  Set in Miami, we meet the resourceful Zhang siblings—Raymond and Coco— who sell forged paintings to unsuspecting parties.  Coco is an artist whose own work is so beautiful that it should be hanging in galleries, something that continues to frustrate her and her dream.  Raymond, on the other hand, makes a buck by providing fake IDs, licenses, passports, and other documents, including those that attest to the provenance of works of art.  The Zhang family is unaware of what Coco and Raymond are doing, and happily own and run a family Chinese restaurant.  Despite their thriving underground operation, the siblings are still short on cash when they cross paths with disgraced millionaire Holden Beaumont. Sensing an opportunity to make a fortune, Holden convinces the Zhangs to forge long-lost masterpieces as a front for his family’s collection. Meanwhile, FBI Art Crimes agent Emily Lee moves from New York to Miami, discovering a plethora of forgeries cropping up in the South Florida art market. As Emily continues to investigate the Zhang siblings’ work, their lives converge to devastating effect in the Zhang family's dim sum restaurant

 

FORGE is written and directed by JING AI NG and stars Kelly Marie Tran, Andie Ju, Brandon Soo Hoo, and Edmund Donovan, among others.  Some fabulous artisans showcasing their talents on FORGE, including cinematographer Leo Purman, editor Briana Chmielewski, production designer Arielle Ness-Cohn, and composers Marco Carrion & Ian Chang.

 

The first thing that I took note of with FORGE is that it is very montage-heavy without droning on or being “too much.”  My favorite montage sequencing uses dissolves and superimposition as Coco ages canvas and paints while her brother Raymond forges paperwork for the provenance of each piece. At 1hr 13 minute mark, a tense montage shows Coco painting these masterpieces while Agent Lee is researching art crimes, and two minutes later, a quick follow-up montage shifts the film’s entire tone.  One of the most interesting things about FORGE is that the film focuses on the antagonists - Coco and Raymond and Holden - over the protagonists (the FBI).  We get to know and understand them, especially Coco, who is a fascinating character and wonderfully portrayed by Andie Ju.  At its core, the film is a character study of Coco, in particular.  She cherishes art and appreciates it, and is a talented artist of her own right who dreams of having a painting done by her hang in a gallery - even if it’s a forgery of someone else’s work.  Holden and Raymond are in it for money and greed.  All of the puzzle pieces start solidifying in the third act, thanks to Kelly Marie Tran’s character, FBI Agent Lee, as she puts all of the connections together within the Floridian Chinese community.   As tone shifts further late in the third act, the lighter, dreamy score motifs we’ve heard throughout the film shift to heavy bass piano while we see an interesting visual juxtaposition that speaks volumes.

 

In this exclusive conversation, Jing Ai Ng and I break it all down in this in-depth discussion.  What I love about Jing’s origin story of FORGE is that she drew inspiration from the infamous Knoedler Gallery art forgery scandal in New York, particularly focusing on the mysterious Chinese forger who was never apprehended and whose story has never been told.  Given that no one has ever heard his side of the Knoedler story, Jing had this fantastic blank canvas of creative freedom to craft a unique narrative centered on Coco, a complex character whose journey in the Miami art world blurs the lines between antagonist and protagonist. As you’ll hear, Jing emphasized how the film invests the audience emotionally in Coco and her family, making viewers care deeply about her motivations and struggles, despite her criminal actions.

 

The film’s visual style is a standout element, with Jing and cinematographer Leo Purman developing a consistent color palette influenced by Florida’s landscape artists. They collaborated with a local Miami painter to create original artworks for the film, ensuring authenticity and a strong sense of place. Production designer Arielle Ness-Cohn played a crucial role in distinguishing the film’s various worlds: the opulence of Holden Beaumont’s (Edmund Donovan) high-rise life, the warmth and intimacy of the Zhang family’s Chinese restaurant, and the shadowy, expansive warehouse where Coco works.  And then there's the work of editor Brianna Chmielewski, who used visual sequences to convey character development and shift the film’s tone without relying on excessive dialogue. The score, composed by Marco Carrion and Ian Chang, weaves Asian instrumentation with electronic elements, mirroring Coco’s dreamy, internal world and reinforcing the cultural identity of the story.  And, of course, we talk casting, particularly since the production did not have leads attached to it at the outset.

 

Make sure to check out FORGE this week and next!  It’s at the Landmark Nuart in Los Angeles right now and opens in NY at the Quad Cinema this Friday the 22nd, with a wider rollout thereafter.

 

BUT I'm not only talking about FORGE today, how about some DUTTON RANCH??  And yes, I did watch the first two episodes four times on Friday, starting at midnight on Paramount+  when it released