Blue Bayou 2021

Antonio LeBlanc, an adopted Korean American and talented tattoo artist, resides just outside New Orleans with his expectant wife, Kathy LeBlanc, a dedicated rehabilitation nurse, and her biological daughter, Jessie. Struggling to support his family due to a troubled past reflected in his criminal record, Antonio finds it increasingly challenging to secure a stable job. Though Kathy offers to rejoin the workforce to alleviate their financial woes, the situation takes a dire turn when Antonio is subjected to harassment by NOPD officers, Ace and Denny, the latter being Jessie’s biological father who is notably absent from her life.

Following an altercation that leads to his violent arrest, Antonio is thrust into ICE custody, facing the heart-wrenching reality of deportation stemming from the revelation that his adoptive parents failed to naturalize him in accordance with the Child Citizenship Act of 2000. In their quest for a solution, Antonio and Kathy enlist the help of immigration attorney Barry Boucher, who requires a significant retainer fee of $5,000. Barry cautions that if their appeal for Antonio’s residency fails, it could result in a lifetime exile from America.

During this tumultuous period, Antonio befriends Parker, a Vietnamese refugee grappling with terminal cancer, who, like him, has endured profound loss. After receiving a heartfelt tattoo from Antonio symbolizing freedom— a “Fleur-de-lis”— Parker invites the family to a communal cookout, offering a momentary escape from their troubles. However, struggling to gather the necessary funds for legal assistance, Antonio and his friends resort to theft, an act that nearly leads to his capture. Deceiving Kathy about the source of the money he manages to obtain, tensions mount when Barry suggests that Antonio reach out to his estranged adoptive mother for potential support in his legal battle— a fact Antonio had kept hidden from Kathy.

Feeling betrayed by Antonio’s secrecy and heartbroken over his reluctance to contact his adoptive mother, Kathy decides to leave with Jessie, moving back in with her own mother. This decision leaves Antonio feeling hopeless and he ultimately severs ties with Parker. Eventually, Antonio decides to confront his widowed mother, who displays a shocking apathy towards his situation, refusing to support him. In the midst of his turmoil, Antonio faces another crushing blow when he is dismissed from his job at the tattoo parlor due to mounting debts.

Amidst his struggles, Antonio reconnects with Parker, whose condition is deteriorating. When she collapses, he rushes her to the hospital. In a moment of joy and renewal, Kathy gives birth to their daughter, prompting a heartfelt reunion between Antonio and his family. On the day of Antonio’s immigration hearing, he is surrounded by Kathy, Jessie, his friends, Ace, and even his mother, all there to show their support. However, fate intervenes when Denny and his associates ambush Antonio, brutally assaulting him and leaving him for dead, effectively guaranteeing his deportation.

In a moment of despair, Antonio contemplates drowning himself but ultimately cannot go through with it. Denny, in a fit of pride, boasts to Ace about his actions. Disgusted by Denny’s cruelty, Ace takes action, arresting him. As Antonio is prepared for deportation, real-life stories of other non-naturalized adoptees facing similar fates scroll across the screen, a stark reminder of the grim reality for many.

In a heart-wrenching scene at the airport, with ICE agents escorting him to his departure, Kathy and Jessie race to find him, while Ace arrives to bid farewell to Jessie, his own daughter. Antonio, torn and uncertain about his future, tells his family to remain in America. The scene becomes even more poignant as he struggles to comfort an inconsolable Jessie, who cries out for him as they are forcibly separated.