Non-binary Canto storyteller Jay Wu knew they wanted to inject their personal story into Toe the Line, a captivating short film they wrote and directed. Toe the Line will screen at the 2022 Inside Out Film Festival, a Toronto festival dedicated to 2SLGBTQIA+ projects.
Toe the Line follows Gloria Chau (Ocean Tang), a closeted teen hockey player who embarks on a path of self-discovery after losing her dream of competing at the Olympic level. Gloria’s mother, Nancy (Erin Tjam), worries about Gloria’s failing grades.
Through this journey, we see Gloria harness the power of her ancestors to discover her purpose and define success on her terms, outside the bounds of the idealized capitalist version of success.
I had the privilege of chatting with Jay about what inspired them to create Toe the Line, their goal of pushing against the narrative of queer people of color being defined by their queerness or tragic home lives, what audiences can expect and more.
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This interview is condensed for length and clarity.
Melody McCune: We at GGA love a good origin story. What’s Jay Wu’s origin story?
Jay Wu: I’m a director born in Burlington, Ontario, an hour outside of Toronto, in a white Canadian suburb. I studied film and television. After that, I moved to Toronto, got an internship at various broadcasters and worked on my projects on the side. Toe the Line came out of that.
As a filmmaker and writer/director, I infuse a lot of myself into my work. Minus the hockey, it was my experience. I hope that’s clear in the film. It’s a Canadian-specific story about a young Chinese girl trying to play hockey who is also queer and trying to navigate that.
MM: That leads to my next question. Let’s talk about Toe the Line. Can you tell me what it’s about, and did your personal story inspire you to create it?
JW: Toe the Line is about a queer, closeted teenager navigating her relationship with her mom after losing her childhood dream, which is to play Olympic hockey. The inspiration for the film came from my being immersed in Toronto’s queer communities and learning about different culturally-specific vibes.
I found out about these girls who played hockey, and they had specific, masculine energy. I got interested in that world. I was an athlete in the past but never played hockey, so I started imagining if I was in that headspace and immersed in this culture.
These girls who play hockey throw their lives into it. The male stereotypes you think of in the NHL translate into women’s hockey.
I tried to throw a queer equation into that context. Friday Night Lights was instrumental as content that changed my life and how I look at what’s possible on television.
I thought about my relationship with success and what it means to have pressure to uphold specific standards that your parents and grandparents count on you to achieve.
Gloria pushes herself into hockey to prove she’s the best so that her mom can see her as worthy of putting time into something she (her mom) never understood. There are a lot of moving pieces in the film.
MM: One of your goals with Toe the Line is to portray a story through a queer lens that goes against the mainstream. How does this film do that?
JW: There are a lot of narratives about being closeted, and I never wanted Gloria’s story to only be about that. When you start looking at queer characters who are more than their queerness, there are many layers.
Thinking about being queer and trans, I think a lot about the external influences that strongly influence who I am. With Gloria, I feel like her narrative of success is infused — all these identities compound to make up who she is, and she wants to give light to every side of herself.
The last thing I wanted to do was show a closeted kid on that path of seeking acceptance. This film feels like more than that.
There are the added layers of pressure and ways Gloria needs to accept herself — it’s even more critical in that context. I feel it’s not a film or story I’ve seen told frequently.
MM: We often see media define queer people of color by their queerness or tragic home lives. How important was it to you to push against that narrative?
JW: Two huge inspirational films are Pariah by Dee Rees and Spa Night by Andrew Ahn. Those are fantastic films. Pariah is still that coming-out story, and I’m glad that a film like that speaks to many people. It speaks to me on a level I can’t explain.
I wanted to show a passionate kid who has things she likes to do. You look at High School Musical, and it tends to be white people — white straight men who can have multiple passions.
Oh, he’s good at singing and basketball. What’s he going to do? What do you do when you throw a queer person of color in that?
Bend It Like Beckham is revolutionary because you see this child of immigrants having that passion for something we’ve never seen that character have passion for.
There are certainly more examples. For Gloria to have these multiple sides of her identity feels more authentic to our actual lived experiences so that we’re not seen as a monolith, as queer and trans BIPOC.
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MM: Describe this film using three words.
JW: Heartfelt, authentic and intergenerational.
MM: What can viewers expect with Toe the Line?
JW: It depends on who you are. If you are a guy who loves hockey, and at some point, your dreams of playing hockey were squashed, which I think is a relatable experience for all athletes, I think something from it will resonate with you.
When you’re watching the film, your relationship with your mom will probably be front and center within the larger context of your goals and carrying on your family’s legacy or expectations.
MM: How has this creative process inspired you as an artist?
JW: My favorite part is the writing. Writing is more my bread and butter, and I worked on the script for quite a while. That process was introspective and required reflection, which was great. For the heavier moments between Gloria and her mom, I wanted not to shy away from what we would expect from those types of scenes.
Moving into pre-production and production was challenging. It was an ambitious project, and I’m thankful to my collaborators, primarily our producer, Fonna Seidu. I’m grateful to my whole crew for sticking it out. We had a snowstorm. We were out for 14 hours on a minus 10-degree Celsius day.
It was tough, so it made me think a lot about my future projects and how the ways that film is done are not accessible to different types of folks. It made me want to be my best self for my crew, to be more intentional in that process.
MM: Would you consider developing Toe the Line into a feature one day?
JW: It’s based on a feature script. I have the first draft of a feature that I haven’t touched on in a while. I would love to flesh it out. It would probably not be a low-budget project. Shooting hockey is not cheap.
There is a more extensive feature project. There’s a love triangle, and it’s very soapy. I’m excited to work on that and see what happens.
MM: Do you have advice for aspiring artists looking to break into the industry?
JW: I’m a big advice giver. I look at Gen Z and how they use social media to create their content. I think it’s incredible. There’s so much creativity there.
My most significant advice for young people under 20 and 16 looking to make films is to prioritize creativity in your life and manifest that for yourself. Surround yourself with people who can support you.
Being curious is helpful as a writer. Always look at the people around you — ask them questions about themselves. Think about who you are to them. Those two things have been instrumental for me in my process.
MM: What else is on the horizon for you, career-wise?
JW: I’m currently working at Bell Media, where I’m in development for CTV and Crave. I’m hoping to continue developing series, doing story editing and focusing on the development of shows.
A feature would be great for Toe the Line, but a series would be even better. A show is where my heart is, and I would love to make stories in that space.
Toe the Line is 23 minutes long, which is long for a short film. I feel more grounded in longer storytelling. Long-form storytelling is more my jam.
MM: Jay, thank you so much for chatting with me today. Congratulations on Toe the Line!
JW: Thank you, Melody!
You can follow Jay Wu on Instagram (@wujayc) and click here to learn more about Toe the Line and the 2022 Inside Out Film Festival.
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What I do: I'm GGA's Managing Editor, a Senior Contributor, and Press Coordinator. I manage, contribute, and coordinate. Sometimes all at once. Joking aside, I oversee day-to-day operations for GGA, write, edit, and assess interview opportunities/press events.
Who I am: Before moving to Los Angeles after studying theater in college, I was born and raised in Amish country, Ohio. No, I am not Amish, even if I sometimes sport a modest bonnet.
Bylines in: Tell-Tale TV, Culturess, Sideshow Collectibles, and inkMend on Medium.
Critic: Rotten Tomatoes, CherryPicks, and the Hollywood Creative Alliance.
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