Visa

It’s undeniable that people around the world would love to live in America…ok, not all, but most. Chi Tran’s short film, VISA, is the story of one young immigrant jumping through extraordinary hoops to get his visa.

Kevin Ng (Benjamin Ting) has spent the past five years building a life in New York, and his work visa is about to expire. His current job is coming to an end, but there’s a chance his company could renew his “sponsorship” if everything turns out right. He has applied for other jobs, and though he is exceedingly qualified, these companies don’t necessarily want to incur the expense of sponsoring Kevin.

There are also other backdoor methods of extending one’s stay, like Kevin “marrying” his American friend Ariana (Juyeon Song), but that’s not a serious option. There’s also filing a claim that while at work, he could be a victim of a violent hate crime, which would mean an automatic green card, but Kevin is too honest for that.

A bloodied Kevin Ng (Benjamin Ting) reaches his breaking point in VISA.

“Kevin Ng has spent the past five years building a life in New York, and his work visa is about to expire.”

His only option is through his current job, but his supervisor, Nate (Nate Anderson), is not sure this is the direction his boss wants to go. He says he’ll plead Kevin’s case next week. Meanwhile, over the weekend, Kevin and his buddy Cuzzo (John Gionis) decide to stage a hate crime, and just as the plan falls apart, Nate calls with a simple request.

As the child of an immigrant, I get it. America is great, and both my grandparents jumped through plenty of hoops of their own to live here. Granted, getting a visa is a bit easier than in the early 1900s, but the goal is the same. Right off the bat, director Tran captures this desperation in Kevin, and we live through his soul-crushing realization that nothing is working and his dreams will be dashed. As Kevin, Benjamin Ting nails this emotional performance in both the film’s dramatic and comedic settings.

Tran also has a full grasp of the story and how to capture it with the camera. The pacing and flow are flawless, and nothing ever pulls us out of the story. It’s all about sympathizing and rooting for our protagonist, and Tran does all of that beautifully.