Spa Night

Considering how many festival attendees arrive from Los Angeles, it is rare to find a movie in the competition that is entirely based there, in large part due to the emphasis on finding new voices of cinema from elsewhere. And yet, there are so many untold stories to be discovered in L.A.: here is one of them.

'Spa Night' is billed as being a movie about a Korean teenager discovering his sexuality at the titular Koreatown spas, but it is actually a broader story of being a first-generation Korean- American and the trials that come with it. Joe Seo plays David, an only child to two Korean immigrants who are struggling to make ends meet as he prepares to apply to college and live up to his parents wishes. The film is much more about the unique and loving relationship David has with his parents, which is why the film flourishes. The truth is David's sense of insecurity and strong desire to live up to his parents is relatable to anyone, so this movie encapsulates what director Ang Lee calls "Universality in the culturally specific."

'Spa Night' director Andrew Ahn aims for ultimate authenticity and hits his mark. His characters and situations feel painfully accurate all throughout the movie, and I would imagine even more so for Korean-Americans. The film's alternation between social situations with the protagonists and private moments with the family allow for the audience to see the numerous ways these characters interact and portray themselves. As an insight into this world, this is a very eye- opening film.

The strength of authenticity also proves to be a weakness. Forgoing a musical score and shooting at a more muted pace means that at times it doesn't feel like it's moving forward at all. That isn't to say individual scenes aren't engaging, but based on the initial premise, it is expected that movement may happen faster than it does. Perhaps knowing that this film remains at a simmer for the duration will help viewers more thoroughly enjoy the artistic work.

Overall, 'Spa Night' is a success and an artistic breakthrough, despite the fact that its pacing and restrained style may hinder it from general viewer interest. The city of Los Angeles has so many movies in production yet so few try to tell stories that are new discoveries, so for this alone 'Spa Night' deserves recognition. Its attention to characters, environment, and reality are top-tier for a directorial debut, and my hope is that Andrew Ahn's next work can elevate the overall story elements that are not as strong as the individual scenes.

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This is a very nuanced, subtle film. I know some people felt the ending was "uneventful," but I thought it was a smart way to end the messiness of David and his double existence. Definite recommend for fans of low key cinema.

I have seen quite a few LGBT films, and while many are very poorly done and have been cheesier than I care to admit, this film is somewhat more impressive in that nothing much happens, at least nothing that hasn't been done in other films. The movie is SLOW, and deals with the family drama of losing a business, and having a closeted son in the Asian culture over actually being a "gay" movie. This film does plenty of things right; the acting is superb, the use of language is handled in a very interesting way (it's great seeing Korean actors speaking Spanish), and a lot of the cinematography was top notch. But for a lot of the film, nothing much happens. They eat, he "studies", they drink, they eat, they fight, etc. But not much is really shown about being gay. It's really a story about a young boy figuring himself out, not having any life experience, and making the most out of a very difficult situation.

Overall, this film kept my interest to the end, but I would not recommend it to anyone, least of all anyone looking for a real insight into the closeted Asian mindset. If anything, it is an exercise in restraint, and aside from some very tame sex scenes, it really could have been a made for TV film. It also ends abruptly, and you never really get any closure. I was just not happy with the final product. For a directorial debut, it could use with a better editor and some punch-ups in the writing department. That being said, this is simply an average film that could have been something much more if they didn't restrain themselves so much. It's almost like everyone involved had no real idea what it's like to be gay in Los Angeles, which is unfortunate.

A note to the creative team; This is an adult film. Start treating your audience like adults.

This movie has no beginning nor end. There is minimal dialog and everyone just seems to try to stare their fellow cast members to death. It's obviously low budget with some of the scenes appearing to have been filmed with an iPhone. The scenes appear to be stuck together randomly, sometimes being relevant to the previous or subsequent one, most times not. Some of the scenes are totally non-contributory to the overall story. The objective of the film must be to try and create a dream like narrative in which all the characters seem to drift through life just staring at one another. As another comment has stated.....avoid at all costs!

David is a second-generation gay Korean-American only child. His parents are not successful though they have been hardworking. Davids of college age but not really college material and David is feeling those pressures plus the growing realization that he's gay.

When his parents lose their restaurant David secretly takes a job to help his struggling parents and if it's in a men's sauna, well at least he can begin to study his other concern...

The story is interesting but the cultural differences made some parts a bit tough to understand for this entirely occidental viewer. While I was interested in David's dilemma, the unresolved nature of the ending was a bit unsatisfying.