As a Korean-American man raised in the Louisiana bayou works hard to make a life for his family, he must confront the ghosts of his past as he discovers that he could be deported from the only country he has ever called home.
Just when you think that you’ve seen yet another film about failed relationships and the impact of separation anxiety, Justin Chon, the director of this film and lead actor, rips your heart out of your chest with this dynamic story of survival and angst. Chon stars as Antonio LeBlanc, an adoptee with Korean roots, who was raised in a small town around Baton Rouge, Louisiana. In spite of the many obstacles that he has overcome, he manages to get married to Kathy (Alicia Vikander) and become a stepfather to her young daughter, Jessie (Sydney Kowalske). He and his wife are both struggling to make ends meet and Antonio, who is a tattoo artist, is having a difficult time trying to find a better job due to his criminal background. The stress of Kathy’s pregnancy with their unborn child is an added responsibility, and while Antonio is out begging for someone to hire him so he can care for his family, his mother-in-law, who doesn’t care for him at all is adding fuel to the fire.
As the film opens, Antonio is in a job interview and the hiring manager cannot get past his criminal record. When Antonio tries to hire an attorney, Barry Boucher (Vondie Curtis-Hall), to help out with his legal issues, he can’t seem to get ahead due to the Attorney’s fees as well as the need to contact the woman who adopted him who could possibly vouch for him. As Antonio tries to make up for his job deficiency in other areas, he forms a bond with his stepdaughter Jessie who is afraid to get too close to him because she feels he will abandon her like her own father, Ace (Mark O’Brien) has done. As Kathy and Ace go back and forth with custody issues, Ace tries to use his power as a police officer in order to threaten Antonio with deportation. Pretty soon it ends up backfiring when Ace’s partner takes matters into his own hands and sets Antonio up to be deported so Ace can get to see his daughter more.
As a reoccurring theme, a woman keeps showing up in a bayou and this is Antonio’s birth mother who apparently tried to drown him before finally giving him up for adoption. In every aspect of his life, this memory consumes him and one day a woman named Parker (Linh Dan Pham) comes to his tattoo parlor looking to get a small tattoo that reminds her of something in her past. Antonio soon finds out that Parker has cancer and in spite of all of his problems, they seem to be able to relate to one another and try to lift each other’s spirits. Antonio is drawn to the woman as she is a reminder of his birth mother who keeps showing up in his thoughts and dreams.
In spite of all the obstacles he is facing, Antonio and Jessie are getting closer and she finally lets her guard down when she feels like he isn’t going to leave her or neglect her when her newborn sibling comes along. At the same time, when Kathy finds out that Antonio has lied about the status of the woman who adopted him, it causes a rift that sends them both their separate ways, and only the birth of Antonio’s child can bring them back together. When they finally seem to be working together to mend their relationship, Ace’s work buddy actually gets Antonio deported and the day of reckoning that comes at the deportation facility is enough to make you cry a river of disbelief.
Award-winning director and actor Justin Chon does an excellent job of telling this story while also exposing the plight of a broken justice system, an inferior foster care system as well as the long-term effects of inappropriate parenting. The characters were totally believable and in spite of each of their shortcomings, all found a way to pay it forward in spite of their brokenness. It goes without saying that any form of childhood drama is far-reaching and in many ways can be manifested throughout one’s entire life. I would highly recommend this film due to the impact of it shedding light in the midst of darkness.
In Theaters Friday, September 17th
