THE PROMISE
A Narrative Short
LOGLINE
At a world conference on China, a brilliant Chinese American woman discovers her husband has betrayed her by removing her name from the paper they co-wrote and must risk everything to reclaim her voice.
SYNOPSIS
Berta Mah has been a dutiful wife to her husband Wing Mah for two decades. Not only has she entertained Chinese dignitaries and academics, she’s also helped him research and write many of his papers, without receiving any credit.
At this prestigious world conference on China, Wing has agreed to give her a co-author credit on a paper he’s presenting. Berta hopes this will lead to more opportunities as a researcher and writer, and a renewed chance to develop her own career. But when they arrive, she looks at the paper and discovers…
HE HAS LEFT HER NAME OFF.
Enraged by the betrayal, she sets out to claim recognition on her own, only to find that as a woman, she’s shut out of any meaningful participation. In desperation, she approaches the renowned scholar-ambassador Hu Wen Bang with the paper, presenting herself as the co-author. She doesn’t foresee the danger in which she is putting herself, her reputation and her marriage.
Berta
Berta appears demure and dignified–but there is a flash to her eye and a jut to her chin that warns of an independent spirit and razor-sharp mind. Naturally curious and analytical, she’s impatient with “women’s talk” and has been bottled up in a tedious domestic world for too long. Driven to remake her future, she’ll have to decide how much she’s willing to sacrifice in order to get it.
Wing
Wing Mah, the first ever Chinese professor at UC Berkeley, is energetic, articulate, wily and charming. Maintaining discipline has always challenged him, but he’s succeeded thanks to the strengths of Berta. He’s eager to make his mark at the conference, as he knows he should be further along in his career. He loves Berta and appreciates her intelligence, wit and charm. But what he doesn’t understand is the impact holding her down is having. Can he let go long enough to save their marriage?
Tone & Style
As a period film, The Promise will have a rich, painterly palette, both lyrical and restrained, with strong shadows, reflections and use of POV shots. I admire the moody camera work and editing of the 2015 film, “Carol,” as well as the intimate framing of “My Life as a Dog.” (1985)
Potential Talent
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Why this Film?
Inspired by my maternal grandmother, Berta Mah, THE PROMISE tells the story of a spirited Chinese American woman fighting for recognition in 1936 in a world that erased her contributions both because of her gender and her race.
Before WWII, Chinese Americans were barred from owning property and restricted from immigration. They lived between two unstable worlds: an ancestral homeland in turmoil and an adopted country that treated them as perpetual outsiders.
My grandmother’s accomplishments were hidden so deeply that even her own daughter did not know them. While taking some artistic liberties in bringing this film to life, I want to not only reclaim her voice, but also illuminate the countless intelligent women who slipped unseen through history.
But this is not just a period piece. THE PROMISE speaks directly to the modern experience of being overlooked, erased, or edited out of your own narrative. It asks what it costs to stay silent — and what it takes to reclaim power.
This film matters now because the fight for recognition has not ended. It has simply changed forms.
