A young immigrant coming money lies in order to get a job as he makes himself pass for a different person by perpetuating harmful clichés and stereotypes.
Written and directed by Ushmey Chakraborty, this short film says a lot in a very short time (just over 10 minutes), showing a man who isn’t lacking for anything playing someone he is not to gain sympathy which works with one person but loses him another. The story here is simple, kept to mainly one location, and has the punch, if you will, be quite effective with an emotional loss for the lead. The writing here is witty and works decently well with humor that works pretty well and three characters that are decently developed for the runtime here.
The cast is made up of all of three people: Our lead and titular character played by Ushmey Chakraborty, his love interest Ben played by Dre Matthews, and his boss Cheryl played by Janet Carter. These characters are decently written but a bit cliché, something that actually works here, giving the film less burden to fully flesh these people out in just 10 minutes. The performances from all three work well with the lead being the most outrageous character and performance. He will likely annoy the viewer, and it seems like that is what is wanted here. Matthews has the more regular character, less in your face, more subdued in performance which balances Chakraborty’s well. Lastly, Carter plays Cheryl in a way that will make her familiar to anyone who has worked in an office with someone just like her (every office has one, trust me). She gives a bubbly, a bit over the top performance that works well to round out the trio here.
The cinematography by Brad Powers makes the most of the (almost) singular location. The house is used well, and the scenes are well framed and shot within it. Outside sequences, mainly the opening, are also well done in a way that fits here. That opening? Perfect. Speaking of that opening, the song here is catchy as they make them, giving the film a tone from the very start.
Gay, Asian, Immigrant is a short comedy with a message about being yourself, giving the audience a fun way to take a look at issues that affect many while poking fun at some who perpetuate negative stereotypes. The film here is entertaining, has good performances, and a catchy theme song with good cinematography.