Ethan Mao
Encyclopedia
Ethan Mao is a 2004 drama
film
written and directed by Quentin Lee
. It was shown at the AFI Film Festival
on November 10, 2004 and the Hong Kong Lesbian and Gay Film Festival on December 10 of the same year. The DVD was released in North America
on September 20, 2005.
) is an Asian gay teen who is kicked out of his house after his stepmother Sarah (Julia Nickson-Soul
) finds a gay pornographic
magazine in his room and shows it to his father. On the street, Ethan is forced to become a hustler
for money. Soon, he meets Remigio (Jerry Hernandez), a teen hustler and drug dealer, and the two become friends and live together.
Ethan and Remigio plan to go to Ethan's old home over the Thanksgiving
holiday (when Ethan knows everyone will be away visiting other family) to get money and Ethan's deceased mother's necklace—which he feels is the only thing he has to remember her by. But when the family returns to the house to pick up a forgotten gift—while Ethan and Remigio are inside—they are forced to take everyone hostage.
The plan is to hold Ethan's father Abraham, Sarah, stepbrother Josh (Kevin Kleinberg
), and younger brother Noel in the home until the next day when the banks open and Sarah can go to the safety deposit box and retrieve Ethan's mother's necklace. Everything goes smoothly until Sarah leaves for the bank and decides to call the police.
As the police surround the house, Ethan and Remigio are forced to make a choice about how everything will come to an end. They decide to walk out together and give themselves up to the police.
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
written and directed by Quentin Lee
Quentin Lee
Quentin Lee 李孟熙 is a film writer and director. He is most notable for Ethan Mao , Drift , Flow , and the film short To Ride a Cow . Lee also co-directed Shopping For Fangs with Justin Lin, known for his controversial film Better Luck Tomorrow...
. It was shown at the AFI Film Festival
American Film Institute
The American Film Institute is an independent non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, which was established in 1967 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act...
on November 10, 2004 and the Hong Kong Lesbian and Gay Film Festival on December 10 of the same year. The DVD was released in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
on September 20, 2005.
Plot synopsis
Ethan Mao (Jun Hee LeeJun Hee Lee
Jun Hee Lee is an American actor.Lee was born in St. Louis, Missouri. His most major film role was that of the title character in the 2004 film Ethan Mao...
) is an Asian gay teen who is kicked out of his house after his stepmother Sarah (Julia Nickson-Soul
Julia Nickson-Soul
Julia Nickson-Soul is an actress. She first came to the attention of audiences in the United States in the Sylvester Stallone film, Rambo: First Blood Part II...
) finds a gay pornographic
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
magazine in his room and shows it to his father. On the street, Ethan is forced to become a hustler
Male prostitution
Male prostitution is the practice of engaging in sexual acts for money. Compared to female sex workers, male sex workers have been far less studied by researchers, and while studies suggest that there are differences between the ways these two groups look at their work, more research is needed.Male...
for money. Soon, he meets Remigio (Jerry Hernandez), a teen hustler and drug dealer, and the two become friends and live together.
Ethan and Remigio plan to go to Ethan's old home over the Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. In Canada, Thanksgiving falls on the same day as Columbus Day in the...
holiday (when Ethan knows everyone will be away visiting other family) to get money and Ethan's deceased mother's necklace—which he feels is the only thing he has to remember her by. But when the family returns to the house to pick up a forgotten gift—while Ethan and Remigio are inside—they are forced to take everyone hostage.
The plan is to hold Ethan's father Abraham, Sarah, stepbrother Josh (Kevin Kleinberg
Kevin Kleinberg
Kevin Louis Kleinberg , is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Trip, the Green Ranger in Power Rangers: Time Force....
), and younger brother Noel in the home until the next day when the banks open and Sarah can go to the safety deposit box and retrieve Ethan's mother's necklace. Everything goes smoothly until Sarah leaves for the bank and decides to call the police.
As the police surround the house, Ethan and Remigio are forced to make a choice about how everything will come to an end. They decide to walk out together and give themselves up to the police.
Cast
- Jun Hee LeeJun Hee LeeJun Hee Lee is an American actor.Lee was born in St. Louis, Missouri. His most major film role was that of the title character in the 2004 film Ethan Mao...
as Ethan Mao - Raymond Ma as Abraham Mao
- Julia Nickson-SoulJulia Nickson-SoulJulia Nickson-Soul is an actress. She first came to the attention of audiences in the United States in the Sylvester Stallone film, Rambo: First Blood Part II...
as Sarah Mao - Kevin KleinbergKevin KleinbergKevin Louis Kleinberg , is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Trip, the Green Ranger in Power Rangers: Time Force....
as Josh - Jerry Hernandez as Remigio
- David Tran as Noel Mao
External links
- Ethan Mao Official Trailer at YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
- Ethan Mao review