Having read the other reviews of this movie, I feel compelled to add my opinion. Let me first say that I know none of the people involved in making this film, I have nothing to do with the film industry whatsoever, and the only reason I'm writing this is because I really loved this movie. And just as those reviewers who felt this was one of the worst films they've ever seen, couldn't understand why anyone would like it, and claimed that anyone who gives it a high rating must be a shill -- I feel the opposite, I don't understand how anyone could dislike it so much. I thought the acting was good. And the story itself is better than great, totally original and unique. I've watched literally hundreds of gay-themed movies and there is no other like Ethan Mao. Without reservation I rank this in the top ten of my all time favorite gay-themed movies. I've watched it three times and liked it better the third time than the first. (I do, however, agree with the person who found it totally implausible that Ethan would allow his stepmother to go to the bank by herself after being held hostage by him all night!!)

With such glowing reviews, one can only assume that those people worked on the movie, were paid by (or friends with) the film makers or were extremely inebriated/high/comatose when they saw the film.I cannot recall when I have seen such poor acting ... oh, wait ... NEVER!!!Rule number one when holding someone hostage ... don't let them go to the bank alone!!! Your hostage - yes, even if it is your Mom - might just call the cops! Even Stevie Wonder could have seen that "twist" coming.Why must we settle for poor-quality film-making like this, just because it is "Gay" cinema?! Do yourselves a favour ... rent a porno ... you will be more entertained (and probably find better acting and plot development).Complete, utter crap!!!

Saw this at the video store and thought I'd give it a try. Sounded like a good story and the cover looked good. That was it. The characters looked good, and the actor who played "Noel", was the most convincing, though he didn't have any heavy time in the movie. I find it really hard to give a movie a bad rating, but this is one, in a minute number, that gets it my book. As the movie went along I kept wanting it to get better but to no avail. Asthetically, it was good. The sound and lighting was good, but the acting in this film killed it for me. It was like watching a low grade soap opera. I just kept saying, "I can't believe they released this move like this". I paused several times out of sheer unbelief that the acting was that bad. There's so much I want to say but I'll just say this, everything else, for the most part, was good, it was the acting, as a final cut, that really did this film in.

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