West 32nd

I was lucky enough to see this movie last night at the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival. Several cast members including John Cho and Director, Michael Kang were in attendance for the screening.

The film was sold out and there was a line around the block to see this one. It was well worth the wait of standing in line for.

Without giving too much away it was an excellent character study of Korean-Americans (both American-born and foreign-born). Culture clashes, deceit, protecting loved ones, and "owing" your own culture are portrayed here in fine detail. Great action sequences too.

I was one of SIX people who got in to see this movie the second night of Tribeca (waited 2 hours!), after unsuccessfully trying to get in the first night. After the ending credits, I was in shock because it was amazing to see an entire cast of "my peeps" up there. And the more I thought about the movie, the more I liked it - all the references to Korean-American life that were so familiar to me; the authenticity; the acting; the plot; the message; and the small bits of humor that were sooo Korean - "cola hana mashile?" I loved how John Cho portrayed the whitewashed Korean-American - so different from the still very Korean character played by Jun Kim. But their similarities were also striking - both were still ruled by their ambitions. The way I just described this movie makes it seem like it's some kind of feel-good, cheesy Korean duh-ra-ma, but it's actually a pretty dark film with an intense feel. I really hope it comes out in wide release because I would really like to watch it again!

My wife and I drove up from DC to catch the premiere. We'd never been to an 'indie' film or been to a film festival, and so weren't quite sure what to expect. We left wishing we could stick around another day to watch it again.

The story itself is not unique, but the way it's applied and used to paint a larger picture most definitely is. The cost of assimilation, as well as the cost of failing to assimilate, are both presented in stark contrast. It's something that anyone who's ever lived in a culture outside of their own can relate to - not just Korean, or for that matter, Asian, immigrants.

The quality of production, acting and writing is all top notch, and not once during the film did I ever find it to be lesser than the hundreds of Hollywood flicks I've seen in my years. There's action, comedy, suspense, and all of it serves a purpose.

The only thing I'm finding myself regretting is that we didn't book a hotel and stick around for the second screening.