“Like the best independent films, THE MOTEL realizes that life is made up of minor pleasures and tiny epiphanies, not sweeping character arcs or big dramatic moments,” - Nathan Rabin, AV Club.

“All the ingredients of this coming-of-age fable are individually familiar, but you rarely see them come together so well.” - Andrew O’Hehir, Salon

“An effective, biting look at a typically dreadful childhood that leaves us both depressed and thankful that we survived those years intact.” - Martha Fischer, Cinematical

“I have always been fascinated with the idea of rites of passage in contemporary America. I created the character of Sam Kim out of the idea of what kind of knowledge I could impart to a boy who was on the road to manhood. I realized that if I had the opportunity to teach a child, I wouldn’t do any better than the completely dysfunctional and misguided Sam Kim.

Most important to me in making this film is to maintain the sense of humor of the story. I have always found humor the most effective way to get a point across. In The Motel, the delicate balance in the crafting of the comedy comes from having the humor directly connected to the humanity and vulnerability of the characters. Hopefully, by using comedy, I can gently push the audience to uncomfortable areas they had not anticipated and discover things about themselves.” - Michael Kang, Director

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