We know it’s been awhile, but we are back with another installment of “Must See Films”. This week we are spotlighting the film “The Motel” which stars Jeffrey Chyau, Jade Wu, and Sung Kang (Fast & Furious). This movie was released onto the film festival circuit in 2005 and received rave reviews for it’s interesting take on a young boy’s coming of age story. The young boy in the film, Erin, excellently played by Jeffrey Chyau, is growing up, but not in a typical way you would imagine. His transition into man-hood is not your average story and with the help of Sam, played by Sung Kang, he finds himself in a position to learn a lot about life from someone much older than he is.
Here’s a synopsis of the film:
“Thirteen-year-old Ernest Chin lives and works at a sleazy hourly-rate motel on a strip of desolate suburban bi-way. Misunderstood by his family and blindly careening into puberty, Ernest befriends Sam Kim, a self-destructive yet charismatic Korean man who has checked in. Sam teaches the fatherless boy all the rites of manhood”.
This is a great film to add to your collection of Asian American independent movies. There are very few films in mainstream media that tell the story of an Asian American teenager going through the stages of puberty. We highly recommend this film to anyone who enjoys good directing, writing, and acting. Both Jeffrey Chyau and Sung Kang put on an admiring performance that will have you smiling at the end. Press play to check out the trailer for the film, and make sure to grab yourself a copy of the DVD in the Amazon link below. Enjoy!
Amazon Link: The Motel (DVD)
