Randall Park's 'gaps' are the Asian American story we desperately need
Sherry Cola, Randall Park, Justin H. Min and Ally Maki visit the IMDb Portrait Studio in Acura Festival Village at the Sundance Film Festival on January 22. Image source: Getty Images for IMDb / Corey Nickols
Last weekend was supposed to be filled with happy festivities for those celebrating the Lunar New Year. Instead, a shooting in Monterey Park, Calif. - which left 10 dead and 10 injured - piled tragedy and trauma on a community already reeling from rising anti-Asian violence in recent years.
On Sunday, after the announcement of the shoot, a group of actors and directors gathered in Park City, UT, for the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. They were there to talk about "Shortcomings", a comedy drama directed by Randall Park. But the mood had changed in light of the mass shooting. At the start of the panel, hosted by the Sunrise Collective and Gold House, actor Daniel Dae Kim asked the crowd to observe a minute of silence for the lives lost.
"The conversations in the film are actual conversations we have within our community."
Across the country, the Asian American community is grieving, trying to weather another violent tragedy. Investigators are still investigating the motive for the shooting, but it occurred at a dance hall in a suburb of Los Angeles that is more than 65% Asian.
Film, however, can contribute to an ongoing healing process by amplifying Asian American voices and stories, and "Shortcomings" is a prime example. Adapted from the graphic novel by Adrian Tomine, the film (which is also Park's directorial debut) follows a Japanese-American, Ben (Justin H. Min), who works at an arthouse theater in the Bay Area and struggles when his girlfriend, Miko (Ally Maki), decides to move to New York to pursue her own passions.
The film delves into the multiplicity of the Asian American experience with nuanced characters — and it features raw, flawed people who happen to be Asian.
"When I read 'Shortcomings', I was so blown away by how ahead of its time it was. The [graphic novel] came out in 2007, so when you watch the movie, you realize it's so late. It's so modern, yet timeless. I'm so glad we're finally here," Sherry Cola, who plays Ben's queer friend Alice, said in the film on Sunday. /p>
Sherry Cola, Randall Park, Justin H. Min and Ally Maki visit the IMDb Portrait Studio in Acura Festival Village at the Sundance Film Festival on January 22. Image source: Getty Images for IMDb / Corey Nickols
Last weekend was supposed to be filled with happy festivities for those celebrating the Lunar New Year. Instead, a shooting in Monterey Park, Calif. - which left 10 dead and 10 injured - piled tragedy and trauma on a community already reeling from rising anti-Asian violence in recent years.
On Sunday, after the announcement of the shoot, a group of actors and directors gathered in Park City, UT, for the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. They were there to talk about "Shortcomings", a comedy drama directed by Randall Park. But the mood had changed in light of the mass shooting. At the start of the panel, hosted by the Sunrise Collective and Gold House, actor Daniel Dae Kim asked the crowd to observe a minute of silence for the lives lost.
"The conversations in the film are actual conversations we have within our community."
Across the country, the Asian American community is grieving, trying to weather another violent tragedy. Investigators are still investigating the motive for the shooting, but it occurred at a dance hall in a suburb of Los Angeles that is more than 65% Asian.
Film, however, can contribute to an ongoing healing process by amplifying Asian American voices and stories, and "Shortcomings" is a prime example. Adapted from the graphic novel by Adrian Tomine, the film (which is also Park's directorial debut) follows a Japanese-American, Ben (Justin H. Min), who works at an arthouse theater in the Bay Area and struggles when his girlfriend, Miko (Ally Maki), decides to move to New York to pursue her own passions.
The film delves into the multiplicity of the Asian American experience with nuanced characters — and it features raw, flawed people who happen to be Asian.
"When I read 'Shortcomings', I was so blown away by how ahead of its time it was. The [graphic novel] came out in 2007, so when you watch the movie, you realize it's so late. It's so modern, yet timeless. I'm so glad we're finally here," Sherry Cola, who plays Ben's queer friend Alice, said in the film on Sunday. /p>
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