Gook

Watched this movie on a plane. Was intrigued since I am Asian and grew up during the L.A. riots. This movie didn't quite do it for me. The pace was too slow. Dialogue was a lot of frustrated yelling and awkward silence. If the director's intent was to make you feel character's pain and struggles, I will give him that. Plot was predictable, and although the characters did a good job displaying their full emotions on screen, it was difficult to get attached to any of them. I wasn't a fan of the black and white either, which added to my impatience in wanting the movie to end.

I really enjoyed the movie and feel like it captured a lot of the interactions I had witnessed and encountered growing up. It was interesting to see how no matter what parts of the world that you're in, some things never change. As an Asian American I was able to relate a lot to the movie but was also drawn into all of the characters and it was well written, acted and directed. Although the movie was set during difficult times of the aftermath of the Rodney King verdict, the movie didn't dwell into the details of it but rather provided the perspective from everyday people in LA around that time. Back in those days, gangs were a lot more prevalent in LA and of course it was more dangerous. In this movie, you get to see how different people perceive each other based on their race and history. Different cultures are intertwined and everyone is trying to survive to make a living whither it is legal or not. But what's most interesting is seeing how two family's history can connect people together and how conflict is not without its consequences. David So was funny and you feel sorry for him as he experiences a bad day throughout LA. But he has it easy in comparison to other characters you start to care for who go through more struggles when they shouldn't have to. The ending was very emotional and you feel for those characters. Justin Chon did an excellent job with everything since not only he wrote and directed but acted too. It's refreshing to see the Korean-American perspective and I'm looking forward to his next movie on Korean adoptees.

People are mad and emotional distress has no enemy it's collective the anger we are dramatizing. Gook is that film, independent, epic and evocative. "E pluribus unum" there's more we have in common than our differences had a movie, "Gook" is it.

I have never went from loving a film to literally hating it overnight,the film GOOK is a well made piece of art that I actually really enjoyed,but upon during further research on the LA uprising I came across something really disturbing ,a little black 15 year old girl named Latasha Harlins. Learning about this little girl and how what happened to her was part of what was leading to the Uprisings, it gave me a new perspective On the film GOOK.

Gook is a simple story about two young Korean men who run a women's shoe store during the L.A. riots in 1992. A young 11 year old black gir ,Kamilla, (played wonderfully by Simone Baker) comes along and steals their hearts. As the title implies racism is the core. I love the throwback to independent 90's cinema. The low budget black and white production,unknown cast of actors and urban angst. It captures the essence of Jim Jarmusch,Spike Lee and Kevin Smith while not quite ascribing to the level of these revolutionary film makers. Perhaps one of the flaws of this film is that it tries too hard. Chon should have been more relaxed and just let things play out like the films of the 90's that inspired him. The film is predictable. The ending could have went one of two ways and it didn't disappoint by doing just that. By all means this film is worth watching. I hope this leads to bigger and better things for all those involved but most importantly writer,director,actor Justin Chon.