Mai's America
 
Directed by Marlo Poras

First-time documentary filmmaker Marlo Poras' "Mai's America" follows the progress of Mai, a Vietnamese exchange student from Hanoi, and her quest for an education in the United States. That her host family turns out to be a gang of dysfunctional, self-professed "rednecks" in Meridian, Miss., is the first clue that this refreshing work will deconstruct a lot of American myths.

Coming across like a real-life "Alice in Wonderland," Mai's introduction to American life becomes more and more nonsensical. The film reveals a succession of characters too strange not to be true, like the cross-dressing Chris, who introduces her to the gay club scene. When the rednecks become unendurable, Mai escapes to the world of gospel music with a young black couple. Later, graduating from high school to college, Mai encounters Vietnamese expatriates living in New Orleans.

Mai's ease in front of the camera and guileless personality make her the perfect Alice for this trip down the rabbit hole of American consumerism, hypocrisy and class warfare. There are so many ironic twists and turns it almost strains credulity, but Poras' expert camera work and editing tell the story in a compelling and amusing manner.

Not that the film is sheerly fun and games. Mai's exposure to an incredible high-school history teacher, Mrs. Dunham, will restore your faith in the Jeffersonian ideal of public education. There is also a tremendous poignancy in Mai's empathy for poor shoe-shine boys in Hanoi, and in her own exposure to blatant classism and cultural racism while working as a pedicurist. Poras' portraiture of Mai is a magnificent trip through her own looking glass, providing a stunning reflection of American values.

--R.A. Bell