Barrier Device Explained

Director:	Grace Lee
Producer:	Caroline Libresco Rosie Wong
Starring:	Sandra Oh Suzy Nakamura
Music:	Billy Cote Mary Lorson
Cinematography:	Patricia Lee
Editing:	Grace Lee
Runtime:	26 minutes
Country:	United States
Language:	English

"Barrier Device" is a 2002 short film written and directed by Grace Lee. It stars Sandra Oh as a sex researcher and Suzy Nakamura as a subject. It won four awards, including the silver medal at the 29th Student Academy Awards.

Plot

Researcher Audrey conducts a study on female condoms. In the course of her work, she discovers that Serena, one of her subjects, is romantically involved with her ex-fiancé. Torn between professional integrity and curiosity, Audrey attempts to learn more about Serena's life without compromising her work.

Cast

• Sandra Oh as Audrey
• Suzy Nakamura as Serena
• Melinda Peterson as Dr. Campbell
• Jonathan Liebhold as Dwight
• Brian Kim as Brian

Production

Barrier Device was Grace Lee's master's thesis at UCLA. Lee directly asked Oh to appear in her film.^[1]

Release

Barrier Device premiered at the 2002 CAAMFest.

Reception

Awards

Year	Organization	Award	Recipient	Result	Ref
2002		Silver medal	Grace Lee		^[2]
2002	Urbanworld Film Festival	Grand Jury Prize	Grace Lee		^[3]
2002		Best Short over 15 Minutes	Grace Lee		^[4]
2002		Best Asian American Film	Grace Lee		^[5]
2002	San Diego Asian Film Festival	Best Narrative Short	Barrier Device		^[6]

Further reading

• Book: Shimizu, Celine Parreñas. The Hypersexuality of Race: Performing Asian/American Women on Screen and Scene. Duke University Press. 2007. 9780822389941. 249–255.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Slamdance: Interview with "American Zombie"'s Grace Lee. Ryan. Tim. Rotten Tomatoes. 2007-01-25. 2014-10-05.
2. 25 NEW FACES OF INDEPENDENT FILM 2002. . Filmmaker. Summer 2002. 2014-10-04.
3. Web site: Urban fest fetes 'Manito'. Oei. Lily. Variety. 2002-08-12. 2014-10-05.
4. Web site: Palm laurels go to 'Wormhole'. Berkshire. Geoff. Variety. 2002-08-12. 2014-10-05.
5. Web site: DGA honors student helmers. McNary. Dave. Variety. 2002-10-23. 2014-10-05.
6. Web site: SDAFF Award Winners Pacific Arts Movement. pacarts.org. en-US. 2018-04-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20180419122146/http://pacarts.org/sdaff-award-winners/. 2018-04-19. dead.