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This is one of those rare films that have the texture of fiction. Part of the key is originality: It's the story of a few days or weeks in the life of a 13-year-old boy growing up at an East Coast motel run by his Chinese immigrant parents. Then there's the small cast of characters well defined by Michael Kang's screenplay and the excellent actors. But ironically, what made it most like fiction for me was the fact that so much is not explained in words. I got to dream up a lot of the backstory and characters' motivations by myself. And unlike so many small independent films, The Motel doesn't turn on a trumped-up, melodramatic finale. Though there is an emotional climax to the plot, it's realistic and well acted. All the elements come together under Kang's understated direction to make up what a small film should be. Though it's based on Ed Lin's novel Waylaid, I almost hesitate to read the book for fear it won't be as rich as the film. Now, that's rare.