Jerry, an ordinary immigrant dad, retired in Orlando, is recruited to be an undercover agent for the Chinese police. Jerry’s family recreates the events on film and his three sons discover a darker truth. True crime meets spy thriller in this genre-bending docufiction hybrid about an immigrant’s search for the American dream. A Slamdance Film Festival Grand Jury and Audience Award winner.
Jerry C. Hsu
Jerry
Kathy Hsu
Kathy
Jon Hsu
Jon
Jesse Hsu
Jesse
Joshua Hsu
Joshua
Haosong Yang
Officer Zhang
Fang Du
Inspector Ou
Nick Bailey
Matt Johnson
Yoni Lotan
Dr. Rastogi
Jerry, an ordinary immigrant dad, retired in Orlando, is recruited to be an undercover agent for the Chinese police. Jerry’s family recreates the events on film and his three sons discover a darker truth. True crime meets spy thriller in this genre-bending docufiction hybrid about an immigrant’s search for the American dream. A Slamdance Film Festival Grand Jury and Audience Award winner.
I’m all one for experimental cinema, but, in the end, the experiment has to work. Unfortunately, however, that’s where this debut feature from writer-director Law Chen (primarily the creator of film shorts and music videos) sorely misses the mark. Based on a true story whose very soundness is somewhat called into question (as demonstrably observed in the picture’s opening credits), this “fictionalized documentary” about retiree Jerry Liu (portrayed here by his real-life counterpart, amateur actor-writer Jerry Hsu) tells the story of how this hard-working but naïve Chinese immigrant living in Orlando was scammed out of his life savings by conmen posing as police officers from Shanghai investigating a supposed international money laundering scheme. The twist here, though, is how this regrettable incident unexpectedly led Jerry to fulfill his long-held dream of becoming a screenwriter/filmmaker, an aspiration he tinkered with as an amateur in his younger days with his wife and three sons (who appear as themselves in this production). Hsu contends that he wanted to make this movie as a cautionary tale to warn other seniors how to protect themselves against scams like the one he fell for, primarily as a result of holding on too firmly to a belief in being overly trusting of others. It’s also something of an homage to the concept of it never being too late in life to start over, particularly when it comes to living out and fulfilling a personal dream. Yet, while both of those intentions are certainly laudable, their execution here leaves much to be desired with its awkward mix of documentarian-style filmmaking and odd attempts at fictionalization (at times verging on the surreal and even hinting at the emerging cognizance issues that Jerry was experiencing at the time of this incident). The result is a picture that doesn’t feel fully fleshed out (or thought out), a weird cross between home movies and an experimental arthouse project that ultimately comes across more like a film school assignment. It’s also difficult to determine how seriously the film takes itself, with an undercurrent of humor that doesn’t always feel appropriate given the troubling circumstances involved in this story. In the end, it’s not entirely clear what “Starring Jerry as Himself” was attempting to achieve, but the finished product definitely doesn’t feel like it attained its goal.
A documentary shot by filmmakers all over the world that serves as a time capsule to show future generations what it was like to be alive on the 24th of July, 2010.
Against the darkening backdrop of New Delhi's apocalyptic air and escalating violence, two brothers devote their lives to protecting one casualty of the turbulent times: the bird known as the black kite.
An investigation into the original 1993 Michael Jackson allegations brought by the Chandler family.
When Jennifer Pan calls 911 to report that her parents have been shot, she becomes the primary focus of a captivating criminal case.
Two ten year-old boys are detained by police under suspicion of abducting and murdering a toddler.
Twenty years ago, Kurt Cobain was found dead of an apparent gunshot wound to the head. The world was told it was a suicide, but evidence would lead many people to believe it might be otherwise. The film investigates the possibilities that exist that Kurt Cobain's death might not have been a suicide, that the Seattle Police Department rushed their verdict, and the global media perpetuated lies and misinformation fed to them by Courtney Love that created the belief in many that Cobain killed himself—but when revealed to be lies—lead many to now question what happened.
Ten Minutes Older is a 2002 film project consisting of two compilation feature films entitled The Trumpet and The Cello. The project was conceived by the producer Nicolas McClintock as a reflection on the theme of time at the turn of the Millennium. Fifteen celebrated film-makers were invited to create their own vision of what time means in ten minutes of film.
She was once as famous as Jackie O—and then she tried to take down a President. Martha Mitchell was the unlikeliest of whistleblowers: a Republican wife who was discredited by Nixon to keep her quiet. Until now.
John Meehan created a terrifying trap of seduction, deceit and betrayal for countless victims. The illuminating revelations into his backstory showcase a series of events that flipped switches to create a monster wired for psychopathy. Goffard exposes John’s troubled background that built the foundation for his ominous fantasy world of lies and manipulation. In addition to hearing the Newell family’s terrifying tale, John’s first wife Tonia Bales and her daughters Emily and Abigail Meehan speak out, along with other women from his past who were caught in his web of lies.
An ecological drama/documentary, filmed throughout the globe. Part thriller, part meditation on the vanishing wonders of the sub-aquatic world.