''Ethan Mao'' is a 2004 drama film written and directed by

Quentin Lee Quentin Lee (; born 1971) is a Hong Kong-born Canadian-American film writer, director, and producer. He is most notable for the television series ''Comedy InvAsian'' and feature films ''The People I've Slept With'' (2009), '' Ethan Mao'' (2004), ...

. It was shown at the

AFI Film Festival The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Leade ...

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.

Plot

Ethan Mao (

Jun Hee Lee Jun Hee Lee is an American actor. He was born in St. Louis, Missouri and attended Boston University. Acting career Jun Hee Lee's film roles include: "Derrick" in ''Vampires Suck'', "Jimmy" in '' American Pie: Band Camp'', the titular character i ...

) is a closeted gay teen who is kicked out of his house after his manipulative stepmother Sarah (

Julia Nickson-Soul Julia Nickson is a Singaporean–American actress. She first came to the attention of audiences in the United States in the Sylvester Stallone film '' Rambo: First Blood Part II''. She appeared in the 2004 film '' Ethan Mao'' and in the 2008 in ...

) finds a gay

pornographic Pornography (often shortened to porn or porno) is the portrayal of sexual subject matter for the exclusive purpose of sexual arousal. Primarily intended for adults,

magazine in his room and shows it to his traditionalist father. On the street, Ethan is forced to become a

hustler Hustler or hustlers may also refer to: Professions * Hustler, an American slang word, e.g., for a: ** Con man, a practitioner of confidence tricks ** Drug dealer, seller of illegal drugs ** Male prostitute ** Pimp ** Business man, more gener ...

for money. Soon, he meets Remigio (

Jerry Hernandez Jerry Kenneth Hernandez (born June 8, 1990) is an American actor and dancer of Puerto Rican and Honduran descent. Biography Hernandez is the oldest of two children. Throughout grade school, Hernandez took part in various school musicals and p ...

), 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 is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden ...

holiday (when Ethan knows everyone will be away visiting other family) to get money, some old belongings, 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 feel forced to take everyone hostage. The plan is to hold Ethan's father Abraham, Sarah, bullying 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. After they kiss, the film cuts to them on bed together without lights on. Remigio asks Ethan to "let imknow" when Ethan falls in love with anyone "no matter where emigio is. Ethan responds positively that, if he falls in love with anyone, he will make Remigio the first person to kiss.

Cast

as Ethan Mao *Raymond Ma as Abraham Mao *

as Sarah Mao *Kevin Kleinberg as Josh *

as Remigio *David Tran as Noel Mao

External links

*
Ethan Mao review

Movie review / Interview with Quentin Lee
2004 LGBT-related films 2004 psychological thriller films 2004 films American LGBT-related films Canadian LGBT-related films Films about Chinese Americans English-language Canadian films LGBT-related films about Chinese Americans 2000s English-language films 2000s American films 2000s Canadian films {{LGBT-film-stub