The story occurs at the engagement party of Sarah, where she is celebrating with her sister Amanda, her parents, fiancé and friends at a Chinese restaurant. Just when they are having fun singing karaoke on stage, a group of racist hecklers shouts rude comments and racial slurs at them. This puts Father (Baba), the head of the family, at a crossroads where he needs to decide what to do that is best for his family.

Director’s Vision for ‘Different Than Before’

“Different than before” is a lullaby for our modern tired souls.
A lullaby that comforts you, but also makes you feel nostalgic. It understands that everything that is happening in the world is forcing us to change how we live. But the gentle melody reminds us to rest our eyes, take a breath, then for a short 3 minutes it makes us feel like everything will be ok. The song is about change, and somehow that nostalgic trip while listening to this song, took me to a moment when my sister got married. She was the first one to “exit” and “join” another family.

This feeling of emptiness when she actually left the family, was unexpected. All of a sudden, every little memory felt so precious. Pairing that with the message Amanda had in creating this song, I wanted to have an older character be the center of the story, since they were the most targeted victims of hate crimes. I crafted a story that touched on racism but also on the topic of change, and how a father is coming to terms with his newly engaged daughter departing on her own journey. I thought the universal message of adjusting to change and standing up for yourself and your people in a difficult situation, paired with Amanda’s gentle lyrics and melody would make a powerful video with a strong message. “Different Than Before” will heal and empower, which is exactly what we all need right now.