The Global Search for Education: Exploring Young Love in Attraction with Filmmaker Huanshuo Wang

C. M. Rubin
3 min readSep 15, 2024

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This month, audiences can screen Attraction on the Planet Classroom Network. This film is curated for the Planet Classroom Network by KIDS FIRST! Film Festival.

Huanshuo Wang’s Attraction tells the relatable story of a young high school boy’s attempts to impress a deaf girl, culminating in a charming and comedic twist. This enjoyable short film highlights the universal struggles of young love.

The Global Search for Education is pleased to welcome Huanshuo Wang.

Huanshuo, what motivated you to create a story centered on a high school romance?

This was my final film project for the NYU Filmmakers Workshop, and one of the prompt requirements was to include a twist. I had heard many interesting love stories from my high school friends, and many of these relationships began with an “unexpected” moment. These stories inspired me to create a story about two young people’s first encounter.

How did you develop the unique twist at the end of the film?

Fun fact: one of our film requirements was that the film had to be “dialogue-free.” When I first envisioned my film, I was challenged by this requirement, trying to figure out how to have my characters communicate in silence. Ultimately, I chose to make this requirement one of my film’s key elements: the characters choose not to speak. This is why I let the misunderstanding become the reason for the boy’s silence.

What challenges did you face in portraying the deaf character authentically?

There is no deaf character in the film, only a character who believes the other person is deaf. So, I tried to think about what a typical person might do to communicate with someone they perceive as disabled. The girl’s reaction can be interpreted as her inability to speak or hear, or simply as her being annoyed and not wanting to respond. This is where I wanted to confuse both the audience and the boy, so I put a lot of effort into the actress’s performance.

How did your experience at the NYU Tisch Summer High School Filmmakers Workshop influence the film? What has the audience reaction been?

This was the final film for this workshop, and I used many of the techniques and knowledge I learned in the class. This is a comedy short, and I did hear some laughs during the film screening. I received valuable feedback and advice from peers and professors, which helped me make changes to ensure the audience would get the jokes. I am glad that people like it.

Thank you, Huanshuo!

C.M. Rubin with Huanshuo Wang

Don’t miss Attraction now streaming on the Planet Classroom Network. This film is curated by Kids FIRST! Film Festival for Planet Classroom.

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