I had a chance to see "Fiasco" short film at the premiere in Orange, CA. The film had some technical issues, such as sound and color, but overall it's a very well done flick. The cast was good, featuring several new-comers and one international rising star: Navid Negahban. Navid Negahban stood out as an Arab father who has traditional middle-eastern values, but has something to hide in his "closet", too. The film makes fun of everyone around: gays, Arabs, federal officers, foreign femmes, and Russian mail-order brides. It was little too much stereotyping of certain characters. The gay guy was too "colorful" and at one point it was unclear is he homosexual or trans-gender, or a drug-queen with a bad makeup. Immigration agent was too dorky and very different from those mean and angry feds who work at your local federal building. The main character, an Arab girl who wants to stay in the U.S. despite all the problems she may face in the process, was over-acting in some scenes and displaying too much body movement (think "silent comedy", Chaplin...). Overall, "Fiasco" is an example of well produced short film with a mainstream value. Entertaining and cute.
