Waiting for the Light to Change

Amy arrives at a beach house for a week with her closest friends, newly changed after a significant weight loss. What starts as a relaxed getaway becomes tense as she notices a shift in how people look at her, and those shifts stir complicated feelings. Amy cares deeply for Kim, whose new boyfriend draws unexpected attention, and she has to figure out how to handle an attraction that could hurt the friendship. The film keeps the moral knots and small moments intimate, watching conversations and silences shape choices without revealing how things finally land.

Directed by Linh Tran and created by Delia Van Praag and Jewells Santos, Waiting for the Light to Change was released in 2023. The cast includes Erik Barrientos as Alex, Qun Chi as Lin, Joyce Ha as Kim, Sam Straley as Jay, and Jin Park as Amy.

Box office figures are not widely reported, which suggests the film had a limited theatrical footprint or a targeted festival and streaming rollout rather than a wide commercial run.

Among viewers the film prompted discussion about how physical change can alter social dynamics, the limits of loyalty, and what attraction means when roles shift. Its quiet scenes and awkward exchanges have been a focal point for conversations about representation of young adults dealing with body image and romantic boundaries.

Critical response has been modest, with an average rating of 6.0/10 based on limited votes. Reviewers and audiences tended to note the film's focus on everyday details and the moral friction between desire and friendship, rather than big plot gestures. Themes of identity, consent, and the ethics of attraction recur throughout, and the ensemble cast frames those themes with small, often uneasy moments that feel familiar to anyone who's watched a friendship recalibrate.