This year’s Seattle International Film Festival includes an impressive number of Asian American selections, which assembles a collection that includes a Korean replicate that evokes John Hughes feel-good, historical Taiwanese brothels, and Tibetan archery.
Check out some initial rundowns of reviews and previews below:
“Seoul Searching”
Reviewed by Daria Kroupoderova
The title of Seoul Searching is as cheesy as the movie itself, but in a good way! This homage to John Hughes’ classic The Breakfast Club follows a group of foreign-born Korean teens at a government-run summer camp in Seoul in the late 80s. Like The Breakfast Club, each main character has a distinct stereotype they fit into: the bad boy, the goody-two shoes, the preacher’s daughter who is a bad girl and so forth. All these teens are stuck together at the camp with rules that are begging to be broken.
Following their experience at camp, you witness each of the teens dealing differently with what it means to be Korean. Especially striking is Kris Schultz, a teen that was adopted by a white family when she was a toddler from Korea. She doesn’t speak any Korean, but is interested in finding her birth parents. With the help of her goody-two shoes friend (and possible romantic interest), Klaus Kim, they track down her birth mother, which stirs up emotions for Kris –and the audience.
Director and writer Benson Lee cleverly weaves a coming-of-age story with moments that pull at your heartstrings or make your cheeks hurt from laughter. Bonus: Lee is scheduled to attend the AMC Pacific Place 11 screenings.
Friday, May 15, 6:30 p.m. and Saturday, May 16, 3:30 p.m., AMC Pacific Place 11, Wednesday, May 20, 8:30 p.m., Lincoln Square Cinemas
“Golden Hill”
Reviewed by Tiffany Ran
Young student Lhakpa returns to his remote home village of Mustang in the mountains of Nepal. Upon his return home, he is jolted by the harsh lifestyle he once knew, but is now estranged from. He peers down at scenic Mustang from a neighboring hill, writing in his journal, and reflecting on his life. As the film progresses, Lhakpa’s birds-eye view draws closer as he is woven into life in the village harvesting grain, skipping stones in the river, and finding love with a childhood friend. As his view of Mustang changes, the village’s voice becomes stronger, digressing from Lhakpa’s inner dialogue and filling the narrative with the sound of the wind blowing through mountains, a traditional song played on a lute, and children singing as they till the earth. Lhakpa not only re-enters life at home, but is faced with the heart-wrenching decision of retuning to the big city and the modern world or staying behind to help his village that struggles under the weight of change. Golden Hill subtly transports its viewers to the rugged mountains of Nepal, which softens with scenic shots of architectural cliffs, wild flowers swaying in the wind, and the warm village within it that quickly embraces the return of its prodigal son.
May 18 at 7pm at AMC Pacific Place 11
May 20 at 4:30pm at AMC Pacific Place 11
May 22 at 6pm at Renton IDEA Performing Arts Center
“The Sacred Arrow”
Reviewed by Andrew Hamlin
Nobody ever hits the bull’s-eye square in this study of Tibetan archery, and how it reflects rivalries, feuds, name-calling, trash-talking, merry piss-taking, changing times, and quietly, reflectively, the need for decency and calm nerves. Theoretically a tale of a rivalry between two villages, the deceptively funny film manages to drag in all of the above, not to mention one furtive romance, one skull fracture, and one mounted-on-motorcycle shooting contest. It’s been done already, but frankly, I wish more Hollywood movies would show that today’s enemies, can be tomorrow’s friends.
Sunday, May 17th, 8:30 pm, SIFF Cinema Uptown; Tuesday, May 19th, 4:30 pm, Harvard Exit; Saturday, June 6th, 8:15 pm, Kirkland Performance Center, Kirkland
“Where I am King”
Reviewed by Tiffany Ran
Upon facing bankruptcy, Ricardo, a self-made millionaire in the Philippines, returns to the slums where he was raised with his coddled grandchildren with hope to revitalize the slum and teach his grandchildren to “grow some balls.” The lighthearted film follows, but also glosses over, the personal growth of each character that is needed to guide the film, and with some weak performances, the story stalls between dueling family members trying to avoid financial ruin along with weak motivations to derail the budding friendships between the grandchildren and the residents. However, the film is a candid glimpse inside the harsh life of an isolated caste. The experiences and life of the residents, more than the plot centered on Ricardo’s family, take the lead as the most memorable aspects of this film.
May 19 at 4pm at SIFF Cinema Uptown Festival
May 27 at 9:30pm at AMC Pacific Place 11
“Margarita with a Straw”
Reviewed by Tiffany Ran
Laila, a 19-year-old living with cerebral palsy, is determined to live life unfettered by her disability. She writes music and enjoys hobbies with friends, and like most young women, she is curious about sex. Margarita follows Laila as she explores her sexuality, but Laila’s struggle with cerebral palsy is no afterthought. Viewers are granted a candid look at Laila’s impaired speech movements, and as the film progresses, those struggles coexist merrily with Laila’s budding relationship with her lover Khanum. Viewers are not meant to feel sorry for Laila, who is neither a victim nor an angel. Margarita tells a unique coming-of-age story that bestows dignity to the experience of living with disabilities.
May 15 at 6:30pm at SIFF Cinema Uptown Festival
May 16 at 4:15pm at Harvard Exit
May 23 at 8:30pm at Renton IKEA Performing Arts Center
“Snow On The Blades”
Reviewed by Andrew Hamlin
Will all that blood run out on fields, on streets, on dirt and beaches, the only place left for the samurai film to go is quiet, inward. Setsuro Wakamatsu gives us a samurai straining under the burden of letting his master get killed–but Kiichi Nakai, doesn’t brood. He might be the only samurai in film history not to brood. Actually, his cool determination holds the film’s center, with supporting superlative turns by Ryoko Hirosue as the man’s long-suffering wife, and Hiroshi Abe as a person of interest, let’s say. Quiet, inward, but effortlessly summing up rapid change in Japanese society, and mounting a critique of ethics and obligations into the bargain.
Saturday, May 16th, 6 pm, SIFF Cinema Egyptian; Sunday, May 17th, 1:30 pm, Harvard Exit; Monday, May
“Dukhtar”
Reviewed by Tiffany Ran
In this epic journey through the mountains of Pakistan, Allah Rakhi escapes with her 10-year-old daughter on the morning that her daughter is set to marry an old tribal leader. Mother and daughter brave the rugged mountains as the relentless chase begins. Dukhtar is the first feature debut from writer-director Afia Nathaniel, who has worked for an international women’s non-profit and given addresses on the issue of violence against women. The film is compassionate and moving, and also thrilling in its depiction of a literal manhunt where lives are on the line. The film is soothed by tender moments as a truck driver helps the mother-daughter duo, and becomes a forbidden love interest for the mother. As they dodge capture and disappear into the magical yet treacherous mountains, emotions are stirred as the value for freedom, a sense of loss, and a love forbidden are mixed into a turbulent journey.
“Dukhtar” show times
May 20 at 9:30pm at AMC Pacific Place 11
May 21 at 4:30pm at AMC Pacific Place 11
“A Coffin in the Mountain”
Reviewed by Tiffany Ran
A charred corpse is found on the outskirts of a remote village and so begins a film that ties together three separate stories of a young man who commits an accidental murder, a woman suffering from domestic violence, and a genuine village chief with plans to retire. Each has a plan that goes awry. The film is divided into three acts that allows for symbolism to show through, but parts of the film tended to drag. A scattered plot line and a sense of back-and-forth deflate an already long film, but strong performances push the plot forward. As each character face a fate of which they have very little control, the transformation we see with certain characters conveys a sense of deep and profound defeat, and a fate that can be twisted and cruel.
May 16 at 12:30pm at SIFF Cinema Uptown
May 18 at 7:00pm at SIFF Cinema Uptown
May 21 at 6:00pm at Lincoln Square Cinema
“Paradise in Service”
Reviewed by Tiffany Ran
With “Paradise in Service,” director Doze Niu Chen-zer’s evocative film offers a lush portrayal of an isolated time in Taiwan’s history where a state-run brothel served as a paradise for soldiers at the military base of Quemoy. The film follows young soldier Lo Pao-tai when he shows up to Quemoy for his three-year conscription. He is transferred to Unit 831 to manage the brothel. The film follows virginal Pao as he maintains his chastity in the company of sexually frustrated soldiers and wonton prostitutes. In doing so, Pao develops a unique empathy for the sex workers and his relationship with Sergeant Major Chang brings to life the complex emotions behind the band of soldiers who seek to return home and face the possibility of never doing so. The lyrical film sways between the great quiet sorrows of each character to the romantic portrayal of life on a picturesque island at the pinnacle of great change. (end)
May 18 at 9pm at SIFF Cinema Uptown Festival
May 26 at 6pm at Lincoln Square Cinemas