Film Review – Forge

May 14th, 2026 | POSTED BY Allen Almachar

Writer/director Jing Ai Ng’s Forge (2025) presents a world on three different fronts. The first features the backdrop of Miami, with its sparkling blue waters, beautiful beaches, neon-tinged lights of the city, the hum of nightclubs and restaurants, and the sense that anything can happen at any time. We also get a sense of the art world, where those with money to spare pay enormous sums for authentic, one-of-a-kind pieces. But what happens when those pieces turn out to be forgeries? More on that later. Thirdly, we get a look at a particular Asian-American experience, and the connections (or disconnections) between the older generation and the children trying to find their own way. These all coalesce into a unique blend of cultural textures.

The success of Forge will depend on the expectations of the viewer. It’s advertised as a kind of crime drama. Siblings Coco (Andie Ju) and Raymond Zhang (Brandon Soo Hoo) operate a low key counterfeit ring where they produce and sell forged paintings to unsuspecting clients. While their scheme is a two person operation, Coco and Raymond are good at what they do. Coco’s talents are especially remarkable, as her knowledge of art history and ability to replicate any artist’s style have put them at an advantage with buyers. One of the best scenes is the first, where Coco tries to sell her latest piece to a buyer while Raymond stands as a look out. The combination of Coco trying to play dumb, the buyer doing all they can to confirm if the piece is the real deal, and Raymond helplessly watching his sister in a vulnerable position result in the film’s most suspenseful sequence.

The premise brings up a larger discussion over the definition of “art.” Much is made of the fact that what the siblings produce are not “fakes” but “forgeries” – pieces that are hand crafted (mostly by Coco) and refined to the smallest detail. She creates paintings just like the original artists would, with so much skill that her work could be considered an art unto itself. That begs the question: if Coco’s pieces are so well made, does that not constitute praise and notoriety? Coco describes her work as far more involved than simply copying someone else’s style. Her defense is that she knows so much about other artists and their work ethic that – in a way – she continues their legacy. It’s almost as if she is channeling them through her. What Coco conveniently ignores is that her and Raymond’s work is done under the guise of deception. Buyers purchase paintings largely because of the name attached to it. There is an argument to be made that Coco deserves credit herself, that she does something very few others can. But creating something and then attaching another person’s name on it is a no no in the art industry, and that’s where Coco and Raymond run into trouble.

The central point of narrative tension occurs when Coco and Raymond are hired by disgraced millionaire Holden Beaumont (Edmund Donovan). In need of funds quickly, Holden assigns the pair to create forgeries of his grandfather’s destroyed art collection. The pieces will then be sold to big time clients and dealers. Despite Raymond’s initial hesitation with such a large undertaking, they accept the job after Coco’s insistence. Not only is this the most lucrative opportunity for the two – it is also the most dangerous, as they are now in the same arena as other major players. Their work also gains the attention of the FBI, who assigns agent Emily Lee (Kelly Marie Tran) to investigate the rise in forged art in the Miami area.

What I just described sounds like a white knuckle, Heat (1995) inspired caper where cops and crooks play a game of cat and mouse. However, that is not the kind of film Ai Ng is going for here. In fact, perhaps the biggest letdown of Forge is how little suspense there is. The pacing is languid, running at a slow burn. There is no momentum that forces characters into action. The opening scene acts is the most effective in translating elements of the crime thriller genre, everything else that comes after plays like a slice-of-life, hang out film. Even Holden’s storyline, involving his increasing debt and shady business dealings, is more of a second thought than something that drives the narrative forward. Whether Coco and Raymond get caught – either by Emily or by those fooled by their forgeries – never feels like a legitimate threat. Everyone just seems to go with the flow.

Ai Ng’s writing does a good job of highlighting how each of the main participants have something to prove. Holden is motivated by maintaining his family’s wealth and legacy, even though his unwise decisions are the main cause of his troubles. For Emily, she wants to prove to herself and her colleagues that the art crime division is just as important as any other unit within the bureau. The biggest example of this theme belongs to Coco and Raymond, both of whom attended college but never finished, who now work various day jobs – including their family’s Chinese restaurant. The pressure of parental expectations and the need to show something of themselves weigh heavily on the two, especially Coco. That is probably the reason she jumped at the chance to work with Holden even when her brother’s instincts say the opposite.

Despite the more laid back, methodical approach, Forge still manages to say some interesting things about the nature of art and individual ambition. Would Coco and Raymond have been better off if they made their own art under their own names? Would they be as well compensated? Or has society put them in a position where they had no other option than to take the riskier path? If someone is willing to pay them thousands of dollars, does it make a real difference who made the paintings? In a capitalistic world, the value of any commodity – whether it is a piece of art, a product, or a service – is mainly based on one major question: How much others are willing to spend for it. 

Andie Ju, Brandon Soo Hoo, Edmund Donovan, Forge, Heat, Jing Ai Ng, Kelly Marie Tran