Young Brooklynite Alex is a normal med student. She has a boyfriend, an eccentric queer roommate and, oh yeah, she's never had an orgasm. This admission lands her (reluctantly!) in a class to "get more in touch with her body." Alex's roommate and best friend Dara (Diane Chen) fully supports Alex throughout her journey – to an embarrassingly enthusiastic extent. Each week Alex learns something new about sexuality and identity, opening her eyes to things she's never considered before. As a young Asian-American woman, society views her in a certain way. Will she live up to those expectations or forge her own path?

Inspired by shows "Chewing Gum" and "Insecure," Sideways strikes the perfect balance between social commentary, both nuanced and blatant, and laugh-out-loud gags and one-liners. Fetishization of certain races, anti-blackness from other communities of color and women taking control of their own sexual pleasure — these are all topics the episodes tackle with grace and humor, but without pulling any punches. Most importantly, the series showcases Asian-American women in a way they rarely get to be seen: three-dimensional and flawed, the stars of their own stories. D: Hang Nguyen, US, 2020, 53m

Presented by Asian and Pacific Islander Caucus of Dartmouth (APIC) as part of Dartmouth's Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AAPIHM) celebrations.

Related Events

On May 24, Sagan (Diane) Chen '14 participates in The Bamboo Scrim, a live, Zoom panel on Asian-American underrepresentation in media. Sagan also directs Naomi Lam '21's senior thesis play Family Style on Fri, May 28.