An Interview with Atlas Lin, Director of 'American Boy'
Back in June, Dances with Films LA celebrated its 29th year of showcasing independent filmmaking at the historic TCL Chinese Theater. While I only caught a fraction of their diverse programming, I heard buzz around a narrative short I'd missed earlier in the week. Despite its miniscule budget of $450, American Boy (2026) was one of the festival's stand-outs.
Shot in Santa Clarita, California, the film is a seemingly ordinary coming-of-age story made extraordinary by its protagonist. Sam, a 20-year-old Korean American, just wants to have a fun night out with his friends and work up the courage to talk to his crush. Alas – as the opening title cards inform the audience – Sam is undocumented, and this fact looms over the rest of the 12-minute run time.
I got the chance to sit down with Atlas Lin, the film’s writer, director, and editor, amidst preparations to develop their short into a feature.
This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
GRACE PALMATARY: American Boy almost gives off the impression that it's a documentary. I feel like I could meet these characters on any given day. Can you speak to how you crafted the film's realism and style?
ATLAS LIN: I chose a style that is very, like you said, documentary[-like] because I want the viewers to be within the friend group. I want them to be the phantom fourth friend in the group, to either see themselves in Sam or see themselves on a night out with [him]. And I think we all in some way know someone that's exactly like Sam. Also, I'm a big fan of mumblecore and Dogme [95] style cinema. With that type of cinematography, it adds a certain level of realism that you couldn't get with traditional cinema grammar.
GP: What was the purpose behind choosing this style?
AL: An ethical one. I want to make a story that is real to what the experience of being undocumented actually is. And to make that, I had a lot of thoughts about how to make that ethically. You know, that argument of “there is no such thing as an anti-war film”, where just by putting a story in the cinematic lens, once projected in a theater with good lighting, with crazy camera movements, it makes [the film] more like a story rather than something that's real.
I'm not dramatizing a very real situation that a lot of people, including me, are dealing with. And hopefully without needing manipulation, this story will just speak for itself.
GP: This story is incredibly timely. How does it feel to work on a film like this as it’s happening in real time?
AL: It’s definitely tragic. There's a lot of moments that, even during filming, news kept coming out about ICE and the conditions of ICE detention centers. After we finished shooting the film, Renee Good and Alex Pretty were shot in the street. When I originally wrote the film, I had a lot more optimism. I thought if people just understood who we are as people, maybe they can truly realize this is crazy.
That's the original idea of the film – to humanize who we are. But the more time goes on, the more I realize these people already know that these are our stories. And I think my view is more critical, almost pessimistic. The recent protest outside of Delaney Hall gave me some sort of hope, but the way this administration and the ICE agents treat [protestors] is another stab in the wound. The ending of the film is left open ended. The more time goes on, the more stories that come out, it's even more of a tragedy.
GP: American Boy has screened twice in Los Angeles. Tickets go on sale soon for the East Oregon Film Festival (EOFF). How has the festival run been for you and the rest of the cast and crew?
AL: As a filmmaker, actually seeing my film in a theater full of people and for them to respond with laughter and cries – that is a core memory for me. It is such a beautiful experience. However, it is very difficult, too. With one good thing that happens to me, there's another feeling of, “I'm here enjoying this amazing time while other people are being tortured in camps and unjustly held there.” So it's a very mixed feeling. In a way I am feeling great because this is everything I ever wanted to do, which is to show people my film. But on the other hand, it is very unfair that I can enjoy these types of things while other people cannot.
And, you know, we really try to use our platform to hopefully change people's mind or get people [to talk] about what is going on in the world.
GP: What's next in store for you and for American Boy?
AL: We are making American Boy into a feature film that follows a similar structure. But it’ll have a more in-depth look at these characters. Unfortunately, audiences in America respond so much better to feature films. So on one hand, I would love to have more time with these characters and to explore the romance more and the friendships. But also, I believe that if we make a feature film, we can get so much more media attention, so we can use it to speak about these situations to a broader audience.
If we make this film, it will be one of the first films about undocumented people that's actually by an undocumented filmmaker. It would be nice to finally tell a story about the community from within the community instead of from an outside-in perspective.
GP: Is any of the cast returning for the feature?
AL: The main cast are returning. I can't wait to work with them again. They are such great people. The chemistry between the actors, how they bounce off each other are so fantastic to watch.
GP: Is there anything that the lead actor, Sebastian Son, brings to Sam that was not originally written on the page? But with his perspective and artistry made you realize something new about the character?
AL: I leave some dialogue open. For example, in the film, there's a moment where Sam, the character, says something about his past of why he wanted to become a writer, and I left it open for the actor to come up with something that he can connect with, with his own personal life.
So the monologue, when he talks about why he wants to become a writer, is completely him. It’s not even just the main character. We do a lot of rehearsal, and I do this one take in the rehearsal where everyone just feels free to say whatever they want.
And a lot of times they come up with dialogue and moments that are so much funnier, so much more real than the thing that was written. They have brought so much of themselves into the characters, and I think that makes a character so much more real and lived in.
GP: Is there anything else that you'd like to share about the short or the feature?
AL: There are nearly 500,000 undocumented Asians in California alone. But in the media, nobody talks about those people, and there's even less resources that can help Asian undocumented people. So, you know, hopefully we can use the film to spread more awareness about a group of people that are not represented, but they are very much real.
It is so easy to stereotype a group of people if there's only one type of representation. So I wanted to give more perspective because it's a spectrum. The undocumented experience is a spectrum.
American Boy, the short, is currently on its festival run. Stay updated via their Instagram with possible screenings near you, and get tickets to their EOFF screening here.
-Grace
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