Category Archives: culture

Asian American, Cultural Exchange, culture, entertainment, Language

Exploring East Asian Culture through Film

By Gina Samec

“Ugh, I hate subtitles!”

Each time I encounter someone with this attitude, I’m disappointed because the scope of great film extends far beyond what is churned out of Hollywood. While the disliking of subtitles is understandable, I encourage anyone who has this sentiment to go outside their comfort zone and watch some foreign films. Watching a movie is an easy way to explore another culture. This is not to say that movies are representative of real life, but they are often a reflection of society. These movies are not for everyone but here are some recommendations of East Asian films I have enjoyed watching!

Memories of Murder

This Korean film from 2003 starts out as a murder mystery but the plot unfolds in an unconventional way. Apart from the main conflict of finding a loose serial killer, a side conflict between the protagonist, Park, and a volunteer detective, Seo, keeps the story interesting. However, one of the best aspects of this film is the cinematography. The thoughtfulness of how the movie was shot adds another layer of depth to it. So any fans of the crime genre or anyone who has an appreciation for brilliant cinematography should give this film a shot.

Secret Sunshine

This 2007 Korean film centers around a widow, Shin-ae, who moves back to the town where her husband lived. While this already sounds like a rough start, Shine-ae’s life dives into a downward spiral from there. What makes this film different from anything I’ve seen, is the exploration of religion. Most movies are too afraid to do so because it is a touchy subject but Secret Sunshine takes this risk. This film depicts the journey of a woman who is not religious in the slightest, encountering Christianity for the first time. I should put a disclaimer that there is some critique of religion so it is not for everyone. However, it is quite refreshing to see a female-led film showing someone trying to overcome a low point in their life without pretending to have all the answers.

Sweet Bean

This Japanese film from 2015 is much more sentimental and family friendly than the previous two. This film is about a symbolic family: the bond that is formed between three generations centered around a dorayaki pancake shop. These three people, an old woman, a middle aged man, and a young teenage girl are all somewhat outcasts from society. Together, they find purpose through their shared love of dorayaki. The film has breathtaking cinematography and brings out the beauty in the simple things. If you enjoy heartfelt movies then this is a good go-to.

A Touch of Sin

This Chinese film from 2013 follows four different characters each in a different storyline. On the surface, this film seems to be mostly about violence but there is much more going on than there appears to be. Each character is being oppressed by society in different forms and protest against it through different methods. What makes this film stand apart is the complexity of the characters. Usually protagonists are righteous and principled. However, these characters are a mixture of good and bad and often their actions are questionable. This film is full of symbolism so for me, it was fun to watch with friends because we all had different interpretations of certain scenes. If you enjoy action-packed movies and don’t mind violence, this is a riveting film that is surprisingly meaningful.

Featured image from Pxfuel

Gina is a sophomore studying Communication at the USC School of Annenberg.  She attended five schools but mostly grew up in Piedmont, California. Although she only attended a French bilingual school for two years, she has continued to pursue fluency in the language. She loves playing volleyball, watching movies, and thrift shopping. Never having left the country has fueled her love for learning about other cultures and meeting people from different backgrounds.

Asian American, culture, New Experience, Uncategorized

Reconnecting with my Thai Heritage through Los Angeles

By Zoe Navapanich

When I was twelve years old, I traveled to Thailand for the first time. I met much of my extended family for the first time, tasted all kinds of different cuisine, and saw many of the typical tourist attractions that draw people from far and wide to the country. Though I am half Thai, and was fairly well connected to my culture throughout my childhood—calling my grandma “khunya” and going to every Thai festival and celebration at the local temple, I felt like a tourist when I finally had the opportunity to visit Thailand.

For many children of immigrants, especially those from mixed-race families, it can feel very difficult to stay connected to your roots. When I visited my cousins growing up, I was ashamed that the only Thai I knew was the baby phrases my Khunya chided us with like แปรงฟัน (brush your teeth) or the nursery rhymes sung to the children at temple. Now, I wonder how much of my Thai heritage I will one day pass on to my children, or how much I would even be capable of passing along considering my lack of knowledge of the language and substantially lower involvement with the Buddhist temple in the past few years. Continue reading Reconnecting with my Thai Heritage through Los Angeles →

culture, Family

Language and Identity

By Sara Malik

Recently, I was asked about my ability to speak my parent’s language and the conversation led to a discussion about my relationship to my parent’s culture. I immediately wanted to explain all of the layers, the reasons why I do not speak my parent’s native language fluently and how it is not born out of embarrassment or dislike, but mostly out of lack of confidence and practice. My parents are from Pakistan, a country born out of a split from India with a religious foundation in Islam. I was born in the United States of America, a country with no singular identity, with core values of individuality and freedom.

My parents speak Urdu and Punjabi, two languages with their own cultural contexts and attitudes, but both spoken in Pakistan. While I was growing up, my parents would speak to me in Urdu at home, but would not expect me to respond in the same language, so I responded in English instead. I grew up learning words and phrases from both Urdu and Punjabi, being able to understand the language when spoken to, but being unable to respond with confidence in my pronunciation. Even around my Pakistani-American friends in our local community, I would be told that I had an American accent when speaking Urdu, or that I was the “least Desi” out of the bunch. “Desi” is a term used by people from the Indian subcontinent, from countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, etc., as a means of collectively identifying via our similar cultures. “Desi” should be an inclusive term, but somehow, I was not “cultured” enough, or did not speak the language well enough to feel as though I was a part of that community.

Growing up with this feeling of being too American to fit into my parent’s culture, but not American enough to fit into the culture of my peers at school, resulted in a sort of blurred and unclear identity. There are parts that fit and parts that don’t. In America, children of immigrants navigate these complex layers of our identity as we develop our own beliefs and values while also remaining connected to our parents heritage. We want to be able to connect with those with similar backgrounds, but also want to belong as Americans. We want to participate in normal American pastimes like school dances and sports games, but we also want to retain the traditions, food, clothing and culture of our parents. It is a balancing act that we do not realize is happening until we are older and able to reflect. 

Continue reading Language and Identity →