Ethan Mao (2004)

Kicked out of his house because he's gay, Ethan Mao returns home to steal and ends up holding his family hostage on a fateful Thanksgiving Day.

Director:

Quentin Lee

Writer:

Quentin Lee

Stars:

Jun Hee Lee, Raymond Ma, Julia Nickson

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview:
Jun Hee Lee	...	Ethan Mao
Raymond Ma	...	Abraham Mao
Julia Nickson	...	Sarah Mao
Kevin Kleinberg	...	Josh
Jerry Hernandez	...	Remigio
David Tran	...	Noel Mao
Mary Gilbert	...	Mrs. Harvisham
René St. Leon	...	Teenage Boy
Jayne Taini	...	Waitress
Erik Robinson	...	Rich Man
Gregory Paul Daniels	...	Unseen Man
Dana Byrne	...	Ethan's Mom (as Dana Pan)
Michael Mesirow	...	Voice of Sheriff Black

Storyline

BOOTED OUT of his comfortable suburban house by his father for being gay after being outed by his manipulative stepmother, Ethan Mao, 18, survives on the street as a hustler selling sex to older men. He meets Remigio, 19, a drug dealer and sometime hustler, who befriends Ethan and takes him in. After being tipped off by his younger brother that his family is going on a day trip on Thanksgiving Day, Ethan asks Remigio for a ride to his family house to get some of his belongings and a necklace that belonged to his late mother. Ethan and Remigio break into Ethan's family house, but are caught in the act and believe they have no choice other than to hold his father, stepmother, and bullying stepbrother hostage. In the following increasingly desperate hours, Ethan, his family, and Remigio are forced to confront their unresolved conflicts between each other. As the tension between Ethan and his family escalates, their inner demons and family secrets unravel in this suspenseful drama.

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Plot Keywords:

acquired immune deficiency syndrome | chinese | ring | police officer | scream | 

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Taglines:

Sometimes the only way out is to break in

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

MarginFilms.com Official producer/distributor's site for the film. [United States] ProFunMedia.com Official page for the film. [Germany]

Country:

Canada USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 November 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

L'enfer d'Ethan

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,356, 10 April 2005

Gross USA:

$6,839

Company Credits

Production Co:

Margin Films, Trailing Johnson Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in 2006 Glitter Awards (2006)

User Reviews

A Refreshingly Different Story That Makes Many Meaningful Statements

Quentin Lee is to be congratulated for taking on several controversial issues and blending them into a novel story that works on many levels. While many writers and directors of Indie gay films focus on the downtrodden, bleak, tragic aspect of young gay lads coming to grips with their lives, few have presented stories that emphasize an element of redemption based on courage to change those things that can be changed.

Ethan Mao (Jun Hee Lee) is an 18-year-old Chinese American boy who has been working (gratis) for his father Abe (Raymond Ma) all his life in their Chinese restaurant. One evening at closing time a young man enters the negligently unlocked door and robs Ethan's cash register at gunpoint. Abe enters form the back of the restaurant and kills the robber, much to Ethan's chagrin. This results in an angry confrontation (one of many in an Asian family where the children are supposed to always obey the parents). Ethan is still mourning the loss of his mother and loathes his stepmother Sarah (Julia Nickson-Soul), a would-be actress who married Abe for money, bringing along her own son Josh (Kevin Kleinberg), a bright young man of obvious mixed genetic pool. Ethan also has a younger brother Noel (David Tran) with whom he has a warm and strong bond. Sarah discovers a gay magazine in Ethan's room, shares this with Abe, and Abe throws Ethan out of his home for being gay and shaming his family.

Ethan, bitter, homeless and without money, begins a life a street hustler, accepting his passive sexual role with older johns as a means of income. Serendipitously he meets Remigio (Jerry Hernandez), a fellow hustler and minor drug dealer who understands the life of an orphan's loneliness, and befriends Ethan and offers him shelter and affection. Ethan decides to return to his home on Thanksgiving (knowing that his family always goes out of town on that day) to take his belongings and get some cash. Remigio accompanies him and what begins as a simple entry into Ethan's empty home results in disaster as his family returns for a forgotten gift. Ethan rages against them and decides to hold them hostage until morning when Abe can send Sarah to the bank to retrieve Ethan's mother's necklace - the only memento he has of her. The crux of the story is how this tangled 'family' comes to different levels of understanding under duress and how Ethan (through this dream vs reality incident) arrives at forgiveness and finds love with the ever-supportive Remigio.

The acting is mixed but the cast engages us and allows each character to morph into something better than we expect. Both Jun Hee Lee and Jerry Hernandez bring credibility to their roles and the result is a palpable relationship which touches the viewers' hearts. While there are rough spots in camera work, in script, and in production, this is a strong little Indie film with a lot to say, dealing with positive images and debunking old prejudicial thoughts about sectors of society miscegenating into the fabric that makes our population more tolerant. Grady Harp