 |
| Plot Synopsis The product of a dysfunctional family takes unusual revenge on his parents in this drama. Ethan Mao (Jun Hee Lee) is a teenager living in a Los Angeles suburb with his straight-laced father (Raymond Ma), his new stepmother (Julia Nickson), his younger brother (David Tran), and his angry stepbrother (Kevin Kleinberg). Ethan has accepted his own homosexuality, but his father is not so understanding, and when he catches Ethan with a gay magazine, the youngster finds himself thrown out of the house. Ethan starts supporting himself as a street hustler, and moves in with Remigio (Jerry Hernandez), a drug dealer who develops a strong friendship with Ethan. On Thanksgiving Day, when his family is away, Ethan decides to break into his old house and recover a necklace that belonged to his late mother. Remigio decides to tag along, but before they can leave with the jewelry, the family unexpectedly comes home early. An argument breaks out and Remigio pulls a gun; moments later, Ethan and his friend are holding his mother and father hostage. Ethan Mao is the third feature from independent Asian-American filmmaker Quentin Lee. - Mark Deming, All Movie Guide Reviews KEVIN THOMAS Los Angeles Times August 12, 2005 Venturesome writer-director-distributor Quentin Lee continues his perceptive illumination of Asian American life with "Ethan Mao," at once a tender love story and a psychological suspense drama that lays bare the acute tensions that threaten to tear apart an upwardly mobile suburban L.A. Chinese American family. Despite some awkward moments and slow stretches - hardly unknown to low-budget independent filmmaking - Lee, in his second feature as a solo director, knows what he's doing and where he's going. His clear commitment gives "Ethan Mao" a strong resonance as it builds tension gradually but surely to an exceptionally strong payoff. In the title role, Jun Hee Lee plays an 18-year-old student still living at home, working part time - for no pay - at his father's restaurant, as he has since he was 11. Boyish-looking Ethan has begun exploring his gay sexuality through anonymous, loveless online sexual encounters. He still grieves for the loss of his mother and loathes his stepmother, Sarah (Julia Nickson), a dragon lady through and through, who smiles at her discovery of a gay magazine under Ethan's bed, knowing that all she has to do is show it to her religious, ultraconservative husband, Abraham (Raymond Ma), and he will throw Ethan out, which he swiftly does. This rejection has quickly followed an ugly incident Ethan witnessed that completely turned him against a father he already resented. Like many a gay homeless kid, Ethan becomes a male hustler. He is taken under wing by Remigio (Jerry Hernandez), little or no older than Ethan but a streetwise orphan. Somehow Remigio has retained a sense of humor and an innate gentleness and compassion. Just as the youths are developing a solid friendship, Ethan asks Remigio to drive him to his family home when he knows everyone will be away for a Thanksgiving dinner. That way he will be able to retrieve some of his possessions and some cash he feels he has earned but, most important, a necklace that belonged to his mother that is of no great monetary value but would be a priceless memento for him. But just as Ethan is searching for the necklace, his father returns home to retrieve something, and soon the armed Remigio is holding Ethan's entire family hostage. They include, besides Abraham and Sarah, Ethan's younger brother, Noel (David Tran), and Sarah's obnoxious son Josh (Kevin Kleinberg) by a previous marriage. While it's clear that Sarah is pretty much beyond redemption, the hostage situation may play out in such a way as to cause Abraham to reevaluate his treatment of Ethan and his own values and priorities. That this could happen doesn't preclude things also going badly. Nickson sparks the entire film with her brittle, materialistic Sarah and manages to make the woman seem recognizably human - yet unyieldingly hateful and hypocritical to the core. The entire cast is expected to express a wide, ever-shifting range of emotions and is, by and large, effective. "Ethan Mao" has much to say - to anyone prepared to listen. PHIL HALL Film Threat Quentin Lee, the highly talented creator of "Shopping for Fangs" and "Drift," has returned with a provocative and poignant new feature called "Ethan Mao." While tapping into issues which he explored in his earlier work (Asian-American assimilation in the first film, gay relationships in the second), Lee nonetheless turns out a remarkable and highly original drama in this production. Ethan Mao is a Chinese-American Los Angeles teen who is expelled from his home when his father and stepmother discover he is gay. He ekes out a lonely living as a street hustler until he makes the acquaintance of Remigio, a same-aged hustler-turned-drug dealer. Remigio takes Ethan in, feeds him, and even allows him to sample his narcotic inventory. Yet he does not exploit or abuse Ethan; rather, the young men share a fraternal relation where the bond between them is genuine and sincere. Remigio and Ethan return to the latter's family house on Thanksgiving, as the Mao is traditionally away for that holiday. But the unexpected return of the family (the stepmother left something home) and Remigio's habit of carrying and using a gun leads to a hostage situation. In this violent environment, Ethan is able to confront his family about his identity and sense of self-worth. Lee's films have been blessed with fully dimensional screenplays, and "Ethan Mao"offers a memorable story. In creating the characters of Ethan and Remigio, and enjoying the good fortune of casting the wonderful Jun Hee Lee and Jerry Hernandez in those roles, Lee has done what many filmmakers have failed to achieve: create a genuine and moving story of gay youth. Both young men share the heartache of lost mothers: Ethan's mother died when he was very young while Remigio's abandoned him at birth. Yet they are intelligent enough not to succumb to self-pity. Despite this, and with the hustler/pusher plotline to boot, "Ethan Mao" is never tawdry or exploitative. If anything, it is rather mature - and that's something you never see in films with teenage characters. Ethan and Remigio are mature in their relationship, despite the hardships burdened upon them. It is fascinating to finally experience a teen film where the teens act like adults. As with "Shopping for Fangs" and "Drift," Lee fills his film with a rich visual and aural touches. His handheld camera, with its unexpected sweeps and inventive angles, provides a rich approximation of the disconcerting circumstances surrounding the characters. Jump cuts and abrupt flashbacks relay the central characters' anxiety and troubled recollections. Mercifully, Lee never succumbs to shock for the sake of shock. An unexpected flash of full frontal male nudity from one of Ethan's less attractive johns is a jolt, but it makes sense in the context of the story and the effect generates a deep sense of pity for Ethan, rather than a cheap laugh for the sight of a naked flabby guy. (Compare that to the cheap laughs generated in the overrated "Sideways" when it pulls out the unattractive nude male to chase the characters down the street.) There is one slight mistake in "Ethan Mao" - the usually reliable Julia Nickson is much too arch and campy as the nasty stepmother who makes Ethan's life miserable. But her role is small and she does not inflict any serious damage on the proceedings. "Ethan Mao" runs the risk of falling into the subgenre of gay-themed films which only find commercial appeal with gay audiences. This can and should find a crossover to all audiences who wish to be challenged by a memorable production and wish to appreciate filmmaking talent at its best. This film is a wonderful work of art and intelligence. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
 |
 |
| ETHAN MAO 2004 - Canada - 86 min. - Feature, Color Director -Quentin Lee |
| Genre/Type -Thriller, Family Drama, Psychological Thriller, Gay & Lesbian Films Flags -Violence, Adult Situations, Profanity, Sexual Situations Keywords -drug-dealer, homosexual, hostage, hustler, secrets, money, necklace, stepmother, sexual-orientation, sexual-identity, diamond Themes -Haunted By the Past, Prostitutes, Questioning Sexuality, Families in Crisis, Hostage Situations Tones -Harsh, Gritty, Visceral Produced by -Margin Films / Trailing Johnson Productions Release -Jun 17, 2005 (USA - Limited) Released by -Margin Films DVD Street Date -Sep 20, 2005 Languages -English Subtitles -English Screen Formats -Letterbox for 16x9 TVs, COLOR Sound -DDDD2 Aspect Ratio -1.85:1 (DVD) Studio -Tla DVD Sides -1 Cast Jun Hee Lee -- Ethan Mao Raymond Ma -- Abraham Julia Nickson [Nickson-Soul] -- Sarah Jerry Hernandez -- Remigio David Tran - Noel |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |