MAI’S AMERICA

USA, 2002, color, DigiBeta, 1:26
Director: Marlo Poras; Producer: Marlo Poras; Screenwriter: Marlo Poras; Cinematography: Marlo Poras; Editor: Michele Gisser

From cosmopolitan, communist Hanoi to rural Meridian, Mississippi; from her own sophisticated, educated family to her host family, self-proclaimed red-necks: MAI’S AMERICA reveals this country through the eyes of a spunky, mini-skirted Vietnamese exchange student. It’s a strange world she sees!

Mai’s first host family was depressed, rarely smiling; her second was undergoing severe marital problems. Her best friend was Chris, a transvestite, who has a “reality check” and decides, after all, he is a man. Throughout, Mai smiles: maybe her happiness, she thinks, can drive away some of the sadness.

Non-judgmental, eager to learn, Mai observes and befriends everyone. She meets Vietnamese immigrants preserving a prewar culture. Returning to Vietnam for vacation, she gently observes the differences between the countries and cultures. Back in America, Mai enrolls with a partial scholarship in Tulane but despite hard work soon runs out of money. To please her parents Mai moves to a Detroit Vietnamese expatriate community to earn money for her education.

Intrigued by how little the former enemies, North Vietnam and America, knew each other, Marlo Poras worked for more than three years accumulating more than 140 hours of footage. Filmed entirely in natural light, MAI’S AMERICA is a loving portrait.

—Betsy R. Cramer

WORLD PREMIERE

About the director: Marlo Poras lived in Hanoi for two years, producing AIDS education videos for Vietnamese teens. This is her first feature.
Invited Guests: Marlo Poras, Michele Gisser

Thursday, 2/28, 3:30 PM; Saturday, 3/2, 11:00 AM; Victoria Hall, 33 W. Victoria St.