Liz Rao’s debut live-action short film The Truck, already Oscar-qualified and honored across the festival circuit, has now gained the backing of two cinematic titans. Academy Award® winner Spike Lee and acclaimed actor-director Joan Chen have boarded the film as executive producers, providing significant creative momentum as the project enters post-production.
Set against the tense landscape of post-Roe America, The Truck follows Jo, a Chinese American teenager, and her boyfriend Arash, as they attempt to buy the morning-after pill in a small town where reproductive choices are quietly monitored and contested. Starring Shirley Chen (Beast Beast, Didi), Daniel Zolghadri (Eighth Grade, Funny Pages), and Garrett Richmond, the film builds political urgency through intimate, emotionally charged performances.
Spike Lee, who calls Rao “the latest talent” to emerge from his 30 years of teaching at NYU, praises the film as “an urgent, gripping look at Teen Love and The Freedom to choose in This America right now.”
Joan Chen highlights Rao’s boldness, saying, “‘The Truck’ transforms a coming-of-age tale into a visceral look at power dynamics in America, quietly chilling and powerful.”
Below, Liz Rao speaks in depth about the origins, themes, and emotional landscape of The Truck, and why this story needed to be told now.
ARTISTIC VISION & ORIGIN
What was the first spark that inspired The Truck, and when did you know it needed to become a film?
When Roe was overturned, I started remembering, imagining, and talking with friends about what it’s like to grow up as a teenager today. So many of us have formative shared stories around power dynamics. We confront the reality that larger forces than our own desires are at play.
How did your experiences in Tennessee and Chicago shape the emotional core of this story?
Near my childhood home outside Nashville, it’s all winding country roads and Southern hospitality. But as the daughter of immigrants from Southern China, I was always reminded of another side of this beauty, one that wasn’t always welcoming. That duality is the state of the American dream now.
When writing a coming-of-age narrative set in a politically charged environment, how did you balance the personal with the political?
I lean into language and behavior as reflections of our times. How the pharmacist talks to Jo and Arash, how far the truck driver feels he can push them, these choices reveal the larger world they’re navigating.
The film feels grounded and intimate while wrestling with national anxieties. How did you find the tone?
“Do the Right Thing” is a guiding light for me. For The Truck, working within a short film’s limitations, I wanted to sustain tension as long as possible, to fully bring the viewer into Jo and Arash’s journey.
POST-ROE CONTEXT & SOCIAL THEMES
Why did you explore reproductive rights through the lens of teenagers in a small town?
I’m always looking to push past boundaries. Our hope is that The Truck sparks conversations about the freedom to choose and how it impacts our closest relationships.
Did working in a post-Roe climate change how you directed the story or characters?
Our job as filmmakers is to provoke and entertain. While scouting real pharmacies and pawn shops, our women-led team ran into places that didn’t want us filming. But every encounter became a conversation.
How did you portray the “quiet policing” of women’s bodies without sensationalizing it?
In smaller towns, disagreement is expressed more politely, but that politeness can have real consequences. That understated tension felt important to capture.
CHARACTERS & PERFORMANCES
What made Shirley Chen and Daniel Zolghadri the right choices for Jo and Arash?
Shirley has a powerful presence that captures you immediately. Daniel brings naturalism and ease. Their chemistry brings the relationship fully to life.
How did you direct the internal tension and unspoken fear that shape their performances?
We filmed the main truck scene in long, unbroken takes. Each time, I gave the actors new objectives. Shirley, Daniel, and Garrett Richmond formed a dynamic that constantly shifted, keeping each other alert.
The film blends teenage tenderness with dread. How did you shape that emotional rhythm?
I love making audiences wait. Investing viewers in Jo and Arash’s relationship was key before the story turns. That buildup is essential.
THE FILMMAKER BEHIND THE FILM
Rao, Brooklyn-based, Gotham Award–nominated, and soon to complete her MFA at NYU, has already built an impressive body of work as a producer and editor on acclaimed independent features including Madeline’s Madeline, Maineland, and Materna. The Truck premiered at Telluride, screened at MoMA, won the Grand Jury Prize at the Oscar-qualifying Florida Film Festival, and continues to travel the world with more than 50 festival selections.
Her debut feature, inspired by similar themes and set in the same community, is now in development.
With Spike Lee and Joan Chen championing her voice, Liz Rao stands at the forefront of a generation of filmmakers redefining the coming-of-age narrative, shaping stories charged with urgency, identity, and the quiet, everyday battles over freedom and choice.
Watch the film here
FILM & TELEVISION BUSINESS 