An everyday crisis becomes something urgent, raw, and quietly profound in “Lucky Lu,” writer and director Lloyd Lee Choi’s reflective film about a New York City delivery rider (Chang Chen) who loses his e-bike and only source of income just as his wife (Fala Chen) and daughter (Carabelle Manna Wei) are flying in from China. This quiet drama paints a gripping, empathetic portrait of survival in the growing global gig economy.
What makes the film work is how real it feels. Choi doesn’t turn Lu into a savior or a symbol. He’s just a flawed and desperate guy trying to survive in a city that rarely gives second chances. Watching him scramble for loans, pawn his few belongings, or race across New York in search of solutions is both stressful and heartbreaking. Chen carries the movie with a performance that’s equal parts weary and resilient. You can see the exhaustion in his body, but also those small sparks of hope that keep him moving.
The film isn’t just about one man. It’s about the countless immigrant workers who make the city function but remain largely invisible. Delivery riders blur past us every day, essential to our routines but barely acknowledged. In his film, Choi asks us to stop and take pause to look at these hard working men and women, recognizing their nameless, faceless humanity.
While the big city setting becomes a place that can crush dreams as quickly as it inspires them, Lu never loses his dignity and keeps his head held high. For that reason, the story hits particularly hard if you’ve ever had to dream about (or fight for) a better life.
“Lucky Lu” is heavy, but the moments of quiet grace nicely balance out the despair.
By: Louisa Moore
Screen Zealots 