SXSW Film Review: Mam

Food is a universal language, and in the melting pot that is Manhattan’s Chinatown, it’s also a passion-filled battleground. In Mam, our protagonist Jerald narrates as we watch him navigate the restaurant world on NYC streets, hustling relentlessly, juggling gigs, even sleeping in his car. He’s scrappy, paying his dues as he works toward owning his own Vietnamese restaurant.

The kitchen is “his secret place, his happy place,” and he sneaks into empty kitchens late at night to cook. In one scene, he buys dumplings to eat a few and save the rest for recipe testing. This is a man with a dream and the grit to chase it, even when the money math doesn’t add up.

Director Nan Feix co-wrote the narrative screenplay with producer Marine Garnier, but Mam feels authentic, almost like documentary. That makes sense once you learn that in real life, Jerald is played by Jerald Head. Head and his wife Nhung Dao Head, who co-stars, own and operate Mam in Manhattan’s Chinatown. The cast is entirely non-actors, all from the neighborhood, and it shows in the best possible ways. The minimal dialogue lands because it’s real. The kitchen prep is legit, and the food market shots feel lived-in. Both Jerald and Nhung are remarkably talented cooks, and it’s what ultimately unites them in the kitchen. 

The film’s structure works well. We follow Jerald on his day-in-the-life journey through the streets of Chinatown until the camera passes him on the street and begins following Nhung instead. We glimpse inside her world at home with her sister, niece, and nephew, and watch her cook for her family in her home kitchen. When their paths converge, the frenetic energy shifts. They both still have to bust their asses, but the companionship is a deep breath. The community they build around them is essential, and a testament to the connections made in real kitchens. 

“I think that’s what it means to be friends,” Jerald said at the March 17 post-screening Q&A. “Everyone coming together to work on ideas.” Feix added that communities helping each other “is so important, especially nowadays.” Jerald spoke to the logistical challenges of cooking on a limited budget, how rehearsals became essential, and how a trip to Vietnam crystallized everything. It took ambition, being himself, working hard, and hustling to make it happen. The film’s last line – “we’re stronger together” – lands not as a Scholastic book fair poster but as something earned, dumpling by dumpling.For anyone who has spent time in or around the restaurant world, Mam will hit differently. It’s a reminder for everyone to consider how the people feeding us got to where they are, and where they still hope to go.

The post SXSW Film Review: Mam appeared first on The Austin Chronicle.