Sean is the definition of a self fulfilled prophecy. He’s a young man without a family, without a culture, and without much of an identity whose found that adapting other identities hasn’t worked for him nor has hating other identities, either. He doesn’t really find much to identify with his own culture, and can’t stand the current country he’s in. One especially poignant moment finds Sean being forced to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. This creates significant tension when he begins going to school and is mocked by some classmates for his Asian heritage.
This quickly becomes a point of anger since he can’t really relate to being Asian, thus some avenues are closed due to his race, already. Sean is a young man who has very little ambition and has become the result of the terrible death of his brother, which broke apart his family. Surely, they may not have been perfect before the movie began, but Sean at least had a foundation. Now with his mother committed to gambling, and his father drowning in his own company, Sean is consistently told he’s a punk and thug.
Without anyone to really guide him, and inviting all the wrong elements, Sean is at a point where he has no choice but to submit to his anger and frustration. Benjamin Tran’s drama is a compelling and unique take on the loss of culture and ambition and how lack of identity can cause confusion in someone in a foreign culture with its own ideas about growing up and earning respect. The cast give strong performances all around, including Vin Kridakorn who conveys the sense of confusion and frustration with his character well. “Bulldog” is a remarkable short drama and one I wouldn’t mind seeing turned in to a feature film someday soon.
