Fifteen-year-old actress Miya Cech could not possibly be further from moody teenage lead Sammy Ko, whom she plays in“Marvelous and the Black Hole.”

Sammy’s coping mechanisms after her mom’s death are destructive, at least initially. The film opens with her getting kicked out of high school for vandalism. In real life, the charismatic Davis native said, she prefers to deal with her frustrations through making art. But, as she does in the movie, “sometimes, you really have to scream into a chicken pillow, you know?” Cech quipped.

The charming comedy, written and directed by Bay Area native Kate Tsang, had its world premiere at the2021 Sundance Film Festivaland will now be available on demand Friday, April 29,after a limited run at the Smith Rafael Film Center (final screenings Thursday, April 28). It tells the story of grief-stricken Sammy, who encounters magician Marvelous Margot (Rhea Perlman) in a bathroom after escaping a community college business class. In Margot, Sammy finds an unlikely friend and mentor.

“Marvelous and the Black Hole” centers on magic and the healing power of storytelling, but its sincere portrayal of raw anger is what transforms it from a typical coming-of-age tale into a rewatchable one.

From start to end, Cech makes viewers feel all the feelings within her, from rage to sadness to wonder. A tick of the eyebrow exposes Sammy’s barely contained anger. A tightening of her jaw indicates her resentment toward a potential new family member. A glance toward Sebastian, Margot’s assistant bunny, reveals the teen’s feigned apathy toward magic.

The film slowly builds up until Sammy’s dad Angus (Leonardo Nam) finds out she is failing her business class because she has been skipping lectures to learn magic at a stranger’s house. They fight. Sammy runs away from home. She erupts. It’s the kind of experience shared by countless teenagers who struggle with the pressure to meet their parents’ expectations.

As in many other movies that explore the Asian experience, food serves as a narrative device. While the 2019 rom-com“Always Be My Maybe,”for instance, features everything from har gow to a high-end version of kimchi jjigae, Tsang’s choice of food, Chinese American takeout, is less than gourmet — and not just due to indie film budget constraints.

“Being a single parent, you don’t usually have time to make a full meal,” said Tsang, who grew up with divorced parents and split her time between Hong Kong, where her father lived, and Fremont, where her mother lived. “Takeout is Angus’ … way of coping or just making sure your family is fed. … Takeout to me is very comforting because of that.”

Tsang draws upon other childhood memories for inspiration as well: wuxia films, tales about moon goddess Chang’e and heated family fights.

Sammy’s relationship with Margot, too, is modeled after Tsang’s relationship with her late grandfather, to whom the film is dedicated.

”他基本上可以告诉我正在经历它,was a really depressed kid, and needed a friend,” she said. “So he became my friend, the best friend I needed.”

Although “Marvelous and the Black Hole” features a wholesome message about finding healthier coping mechanisms for grief, it may resonate with teenagers who have yet to see their unadulterated rage reflected on the silver screen. (Spoiler alert:In one scene, Sammy imagines herself sawing the aforementioned potential family member in half in a delightfully bloody magic show.)

It’s also one of a handful of recent movies exploring Asian stories, including the multiverse action dramedy“Everything Everywhere Allat Once”and Pixar’s“Turning Red.”

“I see it as the beginning of a wave,” Tsang said, noting that for a long time it didn’t seem possibleto go forward with films about people in her community.

For Tsang, the success of such films, including her own, which has screened at both Sundance and the Tribeca Film Festival, indicates that the popularity of 2018’s“Crazy Rich Asians”was more than a blip.

“The box has been blown open. I feel like you don’t have to feel the weight of carrying just one type of story,” Tsang said. “It’s a really exciting time.”

“Marvelous and the Black Hole”(not rated) is available via video on demand starting Friday, April 29.