Preparation for the Next Life

4.5

116 minutes

9/5/2025

Overview

Aishe, a Uyghur woman trained by her military father, migrates to New York City where she finds herself laboring in Chinatown’s underground kitchens. She fatefully encounters Skinner, a young American soldier who has just returned from three tours in the Middle East. While falling in love, they discover the possibility of a better life together than the ones they believed they were destined to live alone.

Cast List

Sebiye Behtiyar
as Aishe
Fred Hechinger
as Skinner
Landyn Lu
as Munro
Ella Rouwen Chen
as Chen
B. Todd Johnston
as Jim
Maxwell Almono
as Luis
Justin Cotta
as Cop (Times Square)
Alicher Adill
as Aziz
Dralla Aierken
as Arzu
Erden Uyghur
as Young Aishe
Esther Chen
as Min
Celine Cheung
as Yi
Jessica Ma
as Ma
Whitney Chi
as Chi
Winnie Guo
as Guo
Gabriel Furman
as Officer Furman
Joshua De Jesus
as Officer De Jesus
Divina Ito
as Deputy
Jasmin Richardson
as Jasmin
Tien-Li Wu
as Tien-Li
Lynn Xiong
as Yu
Myrna Cabello
as Myrna
Austin Owens Kelly
as Cashier
Nasi Mirsalahuddin
as Street Meat Vendor
Doug Yasuda
as Doug
Bernadette Quigley
as Mrs. Murphy
James DiGiacomo
as Jake
Eddie Yu
as Polo
Michelle Mao
as Angela
Sze Chan
as Sassoon
Mingjie Li
as Sunnie
Sharon Gee
as Zhang Zhuojin
Jack Williams
as Johnny H.
Mick Dempsey
as McIntyre
Nnamdi Nwosa
as Tourist
Way Zen
as Herbalist
Eon Song
as Plexiglass Woman
Lillian Zhou
as Receptinoist
Jing Xu
as Lawyer
TJ Lee
as Clerk
Fady Kerko
as Mullah
Clem Cheung
as Kitchen Boss
Bret Bailey
as Immigration Judge
John Maria Gutierrez
as Gold Tooth
Matt Meinsen
as Bailiff
Imaan Rizwan
as Colorful Headscarf Woman