"You'll be the first one I'll tell when I'm in love" . Everyone, just once in their life has probably had fantasies of pistol whipping or perhaps even punching out at least one member of their family, but the embattled title character Ethan Mao, in maverick director, Quentin Lee's saga of Asian American gay dysfunctional angst gets to do this and so much more.     A whole film about holding your family to ransom by gunpoint may not immediately strike viewers as the stuff of a great story, and may even be a little bit much for most, but Lee manages for the most part to hold this film together, delivering up a tight, taught, if not terribly low budget package that mixes elements of the psychological thriller, coming-of-age drama, gay love story, and even black comedy.    Ethan Mao is certainly overly ambitious in its themes and crude in its execution, but there's a gritty and solemn earnestness to this movie, that lifts it above the usual dramas of teenage angst. What makes this movie worth viewing and so involving, and perhaps also so groundbreaking, is that it depicts a modern, urban gay Asian-American teen, which is something that to my knowledge is very rare in film.     The story takes off when the title character Ethan Mao (Jun Hee Lee) has just been kicked out of his home after Abraham, his father (Raymond Ma) discovered his stash of gay porn. His family is reasonably wealthy having worked hard over the years, now they're the epitome of the immigrant success story. But Ethan's father has made the fatal mistake of putting money before the love of his family. Now his days are spent catering to Ethan's gangly younger brother Noel (David Tran), a bullying and spoilt stepson Josh (Kevin Kleinberg), and Sarah, his slinky, narcissistic, ex-actress wife (Julia Nickson).     Obviously being gay doesn't sit well with Mr. Mao, so Ethan is promptly ejected from the family and immediately - without exploring any other options - adopts the life of a homeless hustler, eventually meeting Remigio (Jerry Hernandez), who also works the streets. The pair develops a fierce friendship based on love, trust, and loyalty. Remigio feeds Ethan, gives him a home and surprisingly keeps his hands to himself. Ethan, for his part has a lack of affect, which presumably signals an emotional numbness.    Ethan enlists Remigio's help to return to his home to pick up his belongings as well as a necklace belonging to his dead mother, but his family, who are supposed to be on a Thanksgiving outing, come home.  A vicious argument ensues, with the two young men holding the group hostage until the necklace can be retrieved from a safe-deposit box the next day.     From here, the film mushrooms into an unlikely hostage melodrama, complete with guns, uneasy family dysfunction, along with lots of emotional recriminations. Josh, the stepbrother hates Ethan, and Ethan hates Sarah, the stepmother, while M. Mao remains appalled at what his son is doing, but at the same time begins to regret the way he's treated Ethan, and the rest of his family.    As the hours progress, Ethan begins to enjoy his newfound power and uses it to tell everyone in the family, especially his uptight and highly traditional dad, exactly what he thinks of them and how he feels he's been mistreated. Meanwhile, Remigio looks on, remaining a silent, and somewhat reluctant witness to the proceedings, and a loyal friend to Ethan.    Ethan Mao is clearly heartfelt and sincere- and an early robbery scene is particularly strong - but ultimately a facile script hampers the film, along with its low production values and its bargain basement, C-grade acting. It is also essential that the viewer feel some sympathy for Ethan, but his decision to freely participate in the hustler lifestyle, when you know a boy as bright as he could do something else, makes it hard for us to really root for him. Ultimately, he comes across as a bit bratty, spoiled, and sad; he should learn to lighten up a little, even if he does have a mean father and a wicked stepmother.    Despite Ethan Mao's obvious shortcomings, the film has an intensity and fervor that is impossible not to like. The film also works as an offbeat tale of love and friendship; Ethan and Remigio, through no fault of their own, have become a couple of devoted urban hustler outlaws. Thank goodness though, that we are subjected to only one of Ethan's elderly and flabby customers. Mike Leonard November 05.
Output: POS