Maineland was well-received at its world premiere at SXSW Film Festival. It is an interesting look at Chinese exchange students going attending a private school in Maine. The director does an intrepid job following the young high school students lives from urban China to the contrast of rural Maine. Some of the scenes are certainly entertaining, but the film seems to lack a clear direction and story arc. It does too little to clearly explore the sociological impact of both the young people and how they impacted those around them. They didn't really focus on the racism they experienced or the impact on their peers. There was too much of just cinema verite presentation without really clearly steering the narrative clearly enough. Often the exchange students seem just like any other student coming-of-age, but that doesn't provide a very intriguing story for the audience. A different editing of the same material might well have produced a more compelling portrait of what happens when cultures collide.
Review of Maineland
