I’ve never been to a film festival. 2020 was supposed to mark my first time at both SXSW and Tribeca, and as accredited press, no less. Unfortunately, due to the coronavirus pandemic, both events have been either canceled or postponed; but as disappointed as I am, I feel greatly for the artists and creators who lost their chances to showcase their labors of love. Last month, however, I was lucky enough to catch I Will Make You Mine, Lynn Chen’s directorial debut that was supposed to premiere at SXSW in March. A rhythmic and bittersweet endcap to a low-key film trilogy, I Will Make You Mine is a confident debut that not only adds texture to the saga of the Surrogate Valentine films before it, but also stands alone as an indie gem, applying a refreshing lens to existing characters. Minor spoilers ahead…

In 2011, director Dave Boyle debuted Surrogate Valentine at SXSW, a slight and sweetly lyrical indie centered around a fictionalized version of real-life musician Goh Nakamura. The film follows the nomadic bard as he navigates life and love on the road, painting a charming portrait of mumblecore misadventure and romance. Against all odds, Boyle and Nakamura returned a year later for a sequel, Daylight Savings, which continued the singer’s odyssey of missed connections and romantic entanglements. And while Daylight Savings offered some clarity in its ending, the terminus of Nakamura’s journey was still very much up in the air: Would the wayward musician ever find his match? Would he ever settle down?

Through the intervening years, it seemed that we would never get an answer regarding Goh Nakamura’s ultimate fate. Enter actress and filmmaker Lynn Chen (Saving Face, Silicon Valley), who, through a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter, was able to direct and produce I Will Make You Mine. Pulling double duty directing as well as reprising the role of Rachel from the first two films, Chen takes the charming diptych painted by Dave Boyle and turns it on its head, continuing Nakamura’s story while also making it something entirely her own. As the final chapter of the Surrogate Valentine saga, I Will Make You Mine acts as a bittersweet treatise on longing, closure, and roads not taken.