Read on Twitter
Here in South Korea, I see more enthusiasm towards Youn Yuh-jung than "Minari" itself, if that makes sense.
I can't speak for all Koreans - but I think for Koreans, winning US awards is more about the recognition of the country's soft power than Asian (American) representation. the reason is simple - experiences of Koreans living in Korea and those who immigrated to the US are diff.
Like, only ppl around me dying to see "Minari" are mostly Asian Americans - they were able to find something in the movie they can relate to, no matter how small. It'd be a stretch to expect Koreans to personally relate to the decades-old experience of an Asian family in Arkansas
For example, at a Q&A event in this event below, Sandra Oh asked Youn Yuh-jung in a roundabout way whether now Youn gets what Asian American experience is like after filming "Minari."
Youn's answer was off from what Oh had asked. Youn didn't 'get' it. https://hiff.org/rsvp-for-free-virtual-screening-of-minari-qa-moderated-by-sandra-oh-on-january-13-to-celebrate-korean-american-day/
Youn's answer was off from what Oh had asked. Youn didn't 'get' it. https://hiff.org/rsvp-for-free-virtual-screening-of-minari-qa-moderated-by-sandra-oh-on-january-13-to-celebrate-korean-american-day/
Oh's question: "I noticed that when I was following director Bong (Joon-ho)'s whole journey through the Oscars season with 'Parasite,' we were seeing him and Korean faces in a very familiar kind of American setting, which is kind of like an award setting, press setting..."
"And the thing that I started noticing about him is that he didn't have a kind of, heaviness, or, or if I can say a type of Korean American 'Han.' That I just felt like he was, he, as a Korean man, he just didn't, he was not holding what I feel like myself as a Korean American.."
"(cont'd) And I, and I don't mean to speak for all Korean Americans, but hold in a way of not having being seen. You know, both of you having had successful careers in Korea and living in Korea, have always been seen, you know..."
"...But we kind of psychologically, as Korean Americans, don't have that same setting. So my question is, is that having it, portraying a Korean American immigrant experience, not so much in an actor way, what have you observed about our Korean American experience?" / end of Q /
Anyways, after Youn's answer, Oh seemed to be slightly frustrated. She asked again in more direct way. Oh was like do YOU understand WHY we (Asian Americans) were all crying after watching the film? Youn still didn't get it, I think. Inevitable. She was born and bred in Korea.
Han Yeri attempted to answer Oh's question. You can judge it yourself to decide whether Han really understood what Oh had meant.
Han: "She (the character Monica) really just had faith in Jacob and followed him to the States, to a place where she knows nothing about..."
Han: "She (the character Monica) really just had faith in Jacob and followed him to the States, to a place where she knows nothing about..."
"(cont'd) And I thought about my parents. These people (Jacob and Monica) are going on an adventure completely blind. And while doing so, they go through so many trial and errors." / end of sot /
Youn and Han grew up outside of America and it's inevitable they don't fully understand Oh's nuanced Q.
what I am trying to say is we shouldn't equate 'asian representation' and 'asian american representation.' Asians and Asian Americans have diff expectations and needs. /end/
what I am trying to say is we shouldn't equate 'asian representation' and 'asian american representation.' Asians and Asian Americans have diff expectations and needs. /end/
+ to add on, what Oh saw in Bong was probably his effortlessness. A lot of times, Asian Americans have to 'prove' themselves thru their skills and even accentuate their Americanness. Bong didn't hv to try to be someone, bc he's not an American and has never been a racial minority
for ex- Bong spoke Korean freely on stage in front of a huge American audience, and he probably didn't think "will i be judged for speaking korean here?" To Bong, he was just *one of directors. He probably wasn't counting the # of Asians at the venue and didn't feel out of place
So Sandra Oh might have analyzed Bong with awe for his confident aura and just being himself. But for Bong, he was probably just being himself: a privileged middle-aged Korean man, the most confident and daring species on earth.
