El que no soy

Riceboy Sleeps, a film featuring So Young (Choi Seung-yoon) and her adolescent son, Dong Hyun (Ethan Hwang), elegantly portrays the challenges and triumphs associated with immigration. The narrative unfolds as So Young, a single mother, relocates to Canada in the 1990s, seeking a brighter future for herself and her son. However, racial discrimination, cultural conflicts, and personal hardships mar their journey. The escalating tensions in their relationship reach a pivotal moment, prompting a confrontation with their past and a quest for mutual understanding and healing.

While I perceive the portrayal as authentic, it is those who have endured similar experiences who can best attest to its veracity. The performances by the lead actors are compelling, effectively capturing the nuances of cultural identity and the dynamics of a mother-son relationship. Riceboy Sleeps is characterised by its prolonged shots and visually arresting scenes, fostering a contemplative viewing experience. The film delves into themes of identity, loss, and family dynamics, universal aspects of the human experience.

Despite receiving acclaim and numerous accolades, Riceboy Sleeps may not resonate with all audiences. The director's methodical storytelling approach may not appeal to some viewers, and the film's ambiguous ending could be a source of discontent for others. The movie's emphasis on subdued emotions and nonverbal communication might pose interpretative challenges.

It is important to note that Riceboy Sleeps is not a conventionally entertaining film. However, those seeking a thoughtfully crafted drama will appreciate its sensitive portrayal of the immigrant experience, the excellence of the performances, and the film's visually stunning cinematography.

In a movie world seemingly saturated with hyperbolic movies, this comes as a welcome surprise. This movie has no worm holes, no fight scenes that keep going even though the recipient of such violence would've perished in the first 5 seconds, no rags to riches, no spandex, no fancy anything, and yet it still delivers!

Good storytelling. Great acting. Clever cinematography. The sweeping camera work and frame changes was used very effectively.

As a white Canadian boy, I thought the movie did an excellent job with racial discrimination. It wasn't forced on the viewer, and yet it showed how these subtle (and not so subtle) biases affect minorities almost daily. The movie also did a great job of showing how painfully unaware us white Canadians were/are of how impactful these displays of ignorance are. Stanley Park.

What makes this movie though, is the plight of a single mother and son. Great chemistry between these 2 (3) actors. A perfectly paced arc of their growth together.

Brilliant movie. I hope it gets picked up by streaming so more people can see it.

I had to write this review, because I was a bit surprised to read that some reviews said the movie didn't go deep enough? That the movie didn't deliver? This movie was só much better than I expected! I liked the fact that the story was divided in three parts and if you have lived in the nineties, it's nice to recognize the clothes and other small details from that time. The characters were very realistic and very well played! Since I am an andopted Korean living in Europe myself, some of the things the boy did and felt were very recognisable. Although the story contains some really heavy issues, the director succeeds in keeping things 'light' by not overdoing heavy dramatic scenes. Just raw authentic emotions. Some stories inside the story of the movie were pure poetry and full of wisdom. I did cry a couple of times because of the beautiful way the movie shows how we are all connected to our roots.

One of my favorite Director ever is Richard Linklater. And watching this movie gave me vibes of the old Linklater movies. Though, this film is much more concise with an arc.

The movie is split into 3 part with 3 different moods. Begins as a coming of age story. Has the digital noise with a 4:3 aspect ratio. Colors are muted. And i thought at first it was just an artistic choice(being that it takes place in the 90's). However, it plays into the storytelling.

The things we talk about from our childhood after a certain age gets fuzzy. With every emotion turned up. The happy moments seem like the happiest one has ever been. While the sad moments are the worst.

The 2nd third, The colors and contrast changes. The cinematography is cleaner and warmer. But, still the aspect ratio is the same and still feels like 90s film with a slightly bigger budget. And it shows how the age of adolesence is quite a life turning experience. And the risks of escapism.

The final 3rd is much more modern. With a full screen ratio. And beautiful sweeping shots.

All in all. An amazing movie. Very well acted. The emotion is real and each moment with the characters is empathetic. Even some of the side characters are very endearing. A wonderful experience. And i recommend this to any fan of movies.

9/10.

I'm glad it wasn't all about immigration and integration. It captures what is being human when others see you as a mere immigrant. The discrimination and integration scenes might seem cliche but that is exactly what I (immigrant child in the 90's) went through. Changing name, food shame, parents views on violence, discipline etc.

When the boy goes to Korea to meet family he suddenly feels comfortable, that side of him that was only revealed at home with his mother now can come out and it's normal.. not something to give up on in the name of "integration". Now the blond hair that was meant to impress a Canadian audience feels dumb, he reaches more clarity with exposure to his roots.

But the story was always about the mother, not her as an immigrant but as a resilient woman that lived with love, never gave up and lived with love. It seems obvious but in all truth we don't give these kind of women enough credit. A simple story with so much depth that all people that have gone through this will know how accurate it is.