“Macho Like Me” Review – 2010 San Diego Asian Film Festival

Angry about the persistent parental pressure for marriage, sore about another failed relationship, and disgusted by how she as a woman was treated as “a big inconvenience” in Asia, Helie Lee decided to see what life as an Asian American man was like. So, she cut her long hair, bound her breasts, switched to men’s clothing, and even put a sock in her underwear. With the help of two relatives, she moved to an apartment in L.A.’s Koreatown area to live as a man. She also got her friends Anna and Katie to document the entire six-and-a-half-month experiment.

“Macho Like Me” is a live taping of the one-woman show Lee developed from this gender-crossing experience. Throughout, she expertly interweaves her live storytelling and commentary with video footage of her parents scolding her and “his” failing attempts to bond with men. At the beginning of her experiment, she believed that men had it easy, but her expectations were quickly dashed. She discovered that men were often unhappy and lonely, and she was particularly lost when she saw men avoid any discussions of their emotions or feelings to each other.

Lee is entertaining throughout the show, but my favorite parts involve (presumably staged) footage of her seemingly sweet parents. At the beginning, they tell her what a failure she is because she is already in her mid-30s and still unmarried. Later, Lee explains why she initially took the name Harry by showing her parents’ attempts to pronounce Helie (yes, the usual l-r problem for East Asians). Her interactions with retired architect David Hyun, who hired her as an editor for his memoirs, were also heartwarming (if simultaneously somewhat creepy as he continually flirts with her). Here, we see David gradually open up to her as he begins to recognize that Lee is a woman. At the end of Lee’s experiment, she heads to David’s house with a dress and makeup; the two dance joyously, as they free themselves from the emotional inhibition that characterizes male bonding in America.

After watching “Macho Like Me,” I doubt I learned anything new about gender relations or about how men interact with one another in American society. I also wish Lee had dug much deeper into issues involving sexuality. Nonetheless, this is a funny and delightful documentary about one woman’s attempt at gender-crossing.

“Macho Like Me” screens Tues., Oct. 26, at 9:30 p.m. PT at the San Diego Asian Film Festival. For tickets, go to http://sdaff.bside.com/2010/films/macholikeme_sdaff2010_sdaff2010.