Three Exits (2001) User Reviews

very, very touching

[LostHighway101 · 9/10 · 11 June 2005]

Salena Chang provides a short film that proves a point can be made strongly, however subtle, in 11 minutes. The film follows an anxious-to-hasten-the-aging-process young girl, Theresa, on a road trip with her folks. It is evident that she has just begun her quest of adolescent self-discovery, as she, say, takes her time eating breakfast, or smokes a cigarette outside a restaurant to escape her parents' goofy public dancing.

Theresa is an incredibly likable lead ... this is not easy to achieve in an 11-minute time slot. You feel for her quest and you feel a strong want that she finds her way.

Another reason this movie is so great is that it can be labeled an Asian-American film, but the word Asian could realistically be taken from that label. What Chang presents with this film is a universal tale of adolescent awakening, and the Asian family presented breaks all stereotypes (for example: her parents aren't the root of Theresa's rebellion, like one would expect when thinking about typical Asian up-bringing). Theresa is in no way the Asian girl that mainstream American films often portray (the confident but vulnerable perfectionist, or the competitive, quiet genius).

Good piece all around! I especially liked the relaxed pacing.

Short and cheerful

[Pro Jury · 7/10 · 7 June 2005]

*** May contain spoilers. ***

For some 10 minute short films it is easy to create a 10 line minimum review. For other short films, it is not. THREE EXITS is a short film showing a bit of a family's road trip. Three exit's worth, exactly. The family appears to be Chinese-American with a father, mother and Theresa, their 13-year-old daughter. The most interesting segment is when using only eye gestures, the daughter is able to signal to a store clerk that she is interested in smoking. The store clerk, standing next to a "under 18 cannot buy tobacco" sign, ends up giving the 13-year old something self-rolled to smoke. What is it? Will she smoke it? What will happen?

The other interesting aspect to THREE EXITS is that Theresa's parents take life in a very cheerful way. In fact, the whole family is easy to smile. What have they all been smoking? Did it -- 14 lines!