In Kogonada's Columbus, Jin and Casey's friendship was the only aspect of the film I was remotely interested in. Since the movie was made for an audience of film lovers, I did not understand the fascination of architecture, but I could appreciate the filmmaker's use of mirrors and silence behind glass windows. Unfortunately, I found the film to be a bit mundane, only because I couldn't understand the purpose of architecture being incorporated in the movie.
Some aspects of the movie that I did appreciate were the juxtaposition between Casey and Jin's view of parent-child relationships. While Casey was willing to postpone or even give up her chances of pursing her academic dreams, solely because her mother was a drug addict, Jin was willing to essentially abandon his dying father who supposedly neglected him and never cared to get to know him. Through the friendship that Jin and Casey were able to form, Casey taught Jin how to be by his fathers' bed side while Jin showed Casey that it wasn't too late to follow her dreams. The only relationship I didn't quite understand was the one between Casey and her coworker at the library. I did not understand his purpose whatsoever.
ween Janet and Jung, mostly because it felt similar to that of my brother and I's relationship (or at least used to), along with how the parents were showcased (e.g., strict, but compassionate). The show overall seemed more lighthearted that the various feelings I have towards my parents and family members. The conservatism I was expecting wasn't as rigid in the show compared to my personal experiences which is what I liked the most. In a way, this show may have offered me an opportunity to escape from some of the "burdens" I feel as an Asian American daughter. I could understand Janet's frustration of not being able to find an apartment or being able to move out of her parents' home. I could also understand an observer's view of Jung's situation (e.g., being kicked out and having to provide for himself). Overall, I really liked what this show represented and how it coincided with similar aspects of my life and my family.
Yeah I was also surprised by the pacing of Columbus, although I really liked it. I find it really interesting that its an English film, because it is very similar to films by Ozu (a Japanese director). While I think the films story structure is relatively normal, most of the other aspects of the film are not at all like a Hollywood film. I kind of wonder if this film would play better for a Japanese audience that is used to the pacing of filmmakers like Ozu?
ReplyDeleteI also really liked the friendship between Casey and Jin. I think Gabe (Casey's coworker at the library) served a few different purposes. I saw him as a sort of parallel to Eleanor; Casey is unwilling to go out with Gabe, just as Eleanor is unwilling to be with Jin. Strangely enough, Casey and Jin don't end up together either. I think one of the big reasons behind Casey's unwillingness to be with Gabe was her unwavering commitment to her mother; thus, including Gabe in the film shows how Casey taking care of her mother gets in the way of her ability to pursue several different things in her life (i.e. love, careers).
ReplyDeleteI guess as an Asian American, or for me, as an Asian, it is easy for us to find some similarities in our families as helicopter parenting still exists.
ReplyDeleteI also liked Kim's Convenience, but I wish there was less humor making fun of the parents. It seemed like so much of it was positioning their kids as right and the parents as different and wrong, which in some ways could make sense because I guess the audience is probably younger, but it still didn't sit right with me
ReplyDeleteI agree with this. My father is very similar to the father in Kim's Convenience and I had some problems with the way they made him out almost to be a buffon rather than someone capable of growth and change.
DeleteIts funny that both of these shows rotate around around the question of parenting albeit in very different formats (art film versus sitcom). I think it is interesting that both demonstrate very similar and rather conservative values around questions of Asian American parenting. I was actually very surprised at Jin's choice to stay and care for his father in the film and I am also always surprised at how static the parents values are in Kim's Convenience.
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