Made For Each Other

On Christmas Eve, Gig and Panda wander the streets of Manhattan and join an emergency group therapy meeting. The session is designed to help participants break self-destructive patterns as each person lists their neuroses. The atmosphere is tense but hopeful as strangers share painful truths.

During her turn, Panda declares herself a failure as an actress, singer, dancer and woman. She recounts a troubled childhood with an overbearing mother and an abandoning father, and her search for fame through movie imitations. The monologue reveals deep-seated self-doubt and a pattern of volatile relationships.

Panda recalls her mother’s constant pressure to become famous and her father’s repeated exits for affairs. To escape the misery, she immerses herself in Hollywood fantasies and imitates screen idols like Rita Hayworth. By nineteen she moves in with a married Chinese boyfriend to provoke her father.

Her father dies of a heart attack after discovering Panda’s living arrangement, and at the funeral his lovers hysterically blame her for his demise. The event compounds her sense of guilt and responsibility for others’ happiness. This moment crystallizes the family trauma that haunts Panda.

Panda works as a hostess on a television quiz show and as a nightclub performer before giving up those roles to move to England with a new boyfriend. She later embarks on a comeback via a cabaret revue. The period marks a string of unstable romantic choices.

In a moment of brutal honesty, Gig reveals that he caused his last girlfriend to attempt suicide. He discusses his guilt, the pressure of parental expectations, and his belief that love requires purity before indulgence. The confession shakes the group and foreshadows a destructive pattern he hopes to break.

Gig describes a childhood with little privacy, sexual guilt taught by his mother, a stint in seminary, a tryst with a maid, and a brief military moment of joy. He also talks about a college major in African studies that horrified his parents. His life is filled with tumultuous relationships that fail to satisfy him.

After the meeting, Panda and Gig begin talking and end up having sex in his car. Panda confesses she loves him, but Gig responds coldly and dismisses her. The encounter exposes the fragility of their budding connection.

Encouraged by the session's doctor, Panda calls Gig to scold him for his treatment of her, but ends up inviting him to dinner. They share cautious civility and plan to see each other again, marking a hesitant step toward healing their dynamics.

Gig reluctantly agrees to move in with Panda to break his pattern of abuse. In time, he opens up to her and helps her work through her inability to achieve orgasm. The couple begins building genuine intimacy beyond their old defenses.

On New Year’s Eve, Panda’s mother appears, urging Panda to perform and not rely on Gig, while Gig bluntly criticizes her act in front of everyone. The argument spills out to the street, leaving the couple emotionally battered and more distant. They end up separating for the moment.

Seeking physical comfort, Gig tries to sleep with another woman but discovers he is impotent, underscoring his ongoing internal blocks. The failure deepens his fear of intimacy and reinforces his old self-sabotaging pattern. Panda’s presence remains a potential anchor he cannot ignore.

The next day Panda shows up at Gig's apartment and they make up. They decide to visit Gig’s parents as a couple, hoping to merge their lives with his family. The visit brings old tensions to the surface and tests their bond.

On the way to Gig’s parents, they argue over the family dynamics and the comments about Panda. After a heated exchange, they both cry and admit they truly love each other, choosing to get engaged and commit to a future together.