Playing today at LAAPFF 2026
AMC Atlantic Times Square 14
May 2, 2026 4:00 pm
Radheya Jang’s short film Trading Cards is a work that will have viewers consider the line between ordinary fixation and something far more consuming. Whether that comes from fear, uncertainty, or overthinking a situation, almost everyone faces that need for reassurance at some point in life. What’s explored here is about more than using a thin piece of cardboard to look into the future. Instead, it’s about looking back. Jang’s latest caught my attention because it deals with what may be the greatest compulsion of all: am I okay?
For Jay Jay Jegathesan, who performs the narration, what’s presented in the first few minutes is a look at a kid with a handful of cards. As the writer/director’s father, he had plenty of emotion to draw from. “That creates a different emotional terrain,” he said. “I have watched his inner world take shape across years, and with Trading Cards, I felt I was recognising parts of that landscape in a way that was both beautiful and confronting. Rather than trying to impose emotion onto the words, I found myself returning to real moments, real silences, and the emotional undercurrents that families often understand without ever fully speaking aloud.”
Whether they are about sports, a favourite band, Pokémon, or pop culture icons, trying to complete a set can be tough. Even I admit to obsessively buying far too many Terminator 2 cards just to get that elusive card number one, and I didn’t care where I went to find it. That led to some problems I won’t get into here, but although I got the card, someone expressed disappointment over the tactics I used. I was reminded of that while watching this deeply personal work.
When asked how he (pictured left) approached crafting the voice that gives the film its texture, Jay Jay said, “There was also something quietly profound in lending my voice to my son’s work. Every parent hopes to see their child find their path, but to be invited into the work itself, and to help give sound to something so personal, felt like both a privilege and a responsibility. I was very conscious that the narration needed restraint. The film does not ask for grand performance; it asks for intimacy.”
Anyone viewing this work multiple times can pick up on that, and it matters. What also works especially well is the film’s wide use of imagery. To suggest the tarot knows all is ominous. Some say it’s magic, while others believe there’s some kind of mysticism at work, one that can read the mind of the person sitting before the cards. I can’t say for certain if either is true, but asking someone to read those cards and interpret them for you can be a dangerous game. I feel that’s just one warning among many this storyteller reveals as he explores his own fears, unwanted trajectories, and well-being in this 15-minute work. When tarot takes on a prominent role in this short, it casts an eerie path that few will fully understand. And the way Jay Jay narrates, with unease and self-aware doubt, is what sells the piece.
Even afterwards, I’m tempted to search for the source of the artwork used in this animated film. Thankfully, the press kit identifies it as Pamela Colman Smith’s design for a deck created back in 1909. Since that artwork is now in the public domain, it’s easy to track down. I’ll collect sets for the art, but I don’t really have an interest in using them to figure out my future. While tarot can be helpful for some, the narrator’s presence gives this direction the feeling of a warning consciousness, one that makes the film pause and stare back.
Although Trading Cards is not a jibe at the TCG world, anyone who has chased one last card will recognize the itch. I was once obsessed with Magic: The Gathering, and thankfully that phase has passed. When this work includes a few fleeting references to that world, I feel the producers managed to compress everything they wanted to explore into a 52-card deck rather than a 60-card one.
4 Stars out of 5
Trading Cards Trailer
Discover more from Otaku no Culture
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
