THE MOTEL

Director: Michael Kang

Stars: Jeffrey Chyau, Sung Kang, Jade Wu, Samantha Futerman, Alexis Kapp Chang

Year: 2005

Rating: NR

Winner of the Humanitas Prize at the Sundance Film Festival in 2005, The Motel is an effective, ultimately touching independent film about a chubby 13-year-old boy (Jeffrey Chyau, in a wonderful, very heartfelt performance) trying to deal with puberty as he finds himself surrounded by people who don't understand him while living at the butt-end of nowhere.

Ernest Chin (Chyau) lives in the back rooms of a sleazy "no-tell" motel with his mom, sister and grandpa - a hotel that rents rooms by the week, day or hour and sits off the main stretch of road in what appears to be a town with absolutely nothing to offer. Whether cleaning the rooms, to manning the front desk while doing his homework, to dodging the bully who lives with his family in one of the rooms, Ernest's only salvation is visiting his good friend Christine (Samantha Futerman) - a pretty Asian girl a little older than Ernest, who works at a nearby restaurant. Ernest just sits outside, talking to Christine on her breaks, and over time the two have become very close friends; so much so, Ernest has even shared his love of writing stories with her, and in fact has just recently submitted one of his short stories to a contest based on Christine's advice.

This is a far cry from his home life - where Ernest's mom (the outstanding Jade Wu) criticizes and puts down Ernest at every turn; either that, or there's his little sister Katie (Alexis Kapp Chang), who's always pestering or tattling on him, either way getting Ernest into trouble. Grandpa is no help, always keeping to himself - and in fact when a letter comes for Ernest, announcing that's he's won Honorable Mention in the writing contest, instead of congratulating him Ernest's mom tells him honorable mention only means he wasn't good enough to win a real prize, and she discourages his writing altogether. Indeed, Ernest is fighting the great fight alone, and not even sure how to handle his growing feelings for Christine...

That is, until a smooth-talking Korean guy named Sam (Sung Kang, in one of his best, most sincere performances) checks in. Sam's heavy into both alcohol and women, often bringing a different hooker to the hotel every chance he gets, but eventually he ends up bonding with Ernest and the two become friends. Ernest sort of sees Sam as a father figure, when in truth Sam pushes Ernest into some truly reckless behavior more resembling an irresponsible best friend his own age ... but the two grow to learn a lot from each other. More importantly, Ernest has someone paying attention to him who really seems to enjoy his company - something he's never seemed to have before. And when Sam decides to take Ernest under his wing, showing him what life and love are all about, some strong realizations take place for both guys ... each of them, perhaps, doing a little growing up at last.

The film's ending is a bit abrupt, but it's also one of the most touching I've seen in a film in a long time. Anyone who's ever felt awkward during their "Twilight Zone"-ish years of puberty (especially if you're a guy) will deeply relate to both Ernest's longings and frustrations, in a film that scores deeply on an emotional level. Jeffrey Chyau is truly to be commended for turning in a performance that never seems to be one, and Sung Kang's Sam is equally humane and warm. Even Jade Wu, as Ernest's mom, is totally convincing in a role that is at turns hilarious and heartbreaking. Director Michael Kang's feature film debut is a sweet slice of life about an ordinary boy who - despite the odds - might just grow up to be an extraordinary man. ***1/2 - Reel Cool-Reel Awesome