Mai’s America 2001
Distributed by Women Make Movies, 462 Broadway, New York, NY 10013; 212-925-0606
Produced by Marlo Poras
Directed by Marlo Poras
VHS, color, 72 min.
Sr. High - Adult
Adolescence, American Studies, Asian Studies, Multicultural Studies, Sociology
Date Entered: 11/09/2018
ALA Notable: ALA.gif
Reviewed by Rue Herbert, Head, Library Media Resources, University of South Florida, Tampa, Tampa
Mai’s America is a remarkable documentary that chronicles approximately two years in the life of a North Vietnamese teenager. The spirited young woman comes to America as an exchange student for her senior year in high school. Mai’s comfortable upbringing in urban Hanoi contrasts sharply with the lifestyle of her first American hosts. Culture shock is immediate with her placement in the home of a self-proclaimed redneck family in rural Mississippi. The parents and daughter seem unhappy and withdrawn, leaving Mai to question her ability to relate or develop associations within the home.
Mai’s exuberance and pride in her North Vietnamese heritage provides the viewer with a unique perspective on cultural sharing. As the story progresses Mai is reassigned to a new family, and moves into the home of a young African American couple with a positive and loving view of life, at least initially. Mai brings an innocent and intelligent joy to the relationships she develops throughout the film, while dealing with her feelings of alienation in America and missing her family in Vietnam.
While becoming acquainted with a surprisingly wide variety of Americans, one of Mai’s most interesting relationships is developed with a gay transvestite who in many ways is her soul mate. Their touching relationship is truly amazing. And, while casting a sharp eye on Americans, the program also reveals the Vietnamese and Vietnamese American perspectives from both the North and South as Mai’s social contacts continue to expand.
Mai’s America provides a delightful, yet poignant look at both American and Vietnamese culture through a variety of viewpoints. As she graduates from high school and briefly attends Tulane University, Mai’s desire for both an academic and cultural American education is impressive and seemingly unyielding. However, her ultimate departure from New Orleans and move to Detroit in order to work in a family friend’s shop leaves the viewer with a strong desire for a follow up on Mai, and her future accomplishments.
The high quality of both video and audio production is essential and present at all times. The viewer is taken on an intimate, clearly produced and seamlessly edited journey of a most personal nature. Mai is an insightful young woman who reveals much about American and Vietnamese cultures and about human nature in general, just by being herself. She exudes the values of truth, integrity and the joy of living. Mai’s America is highly recommended for use in a variety of academic areas, and would also be appropriate in high school and public libraries.