#gook 2017

[shitpcsts]

“I never see flowers in my neighbourhood. All I see is concrete and dirt. Might as well have one in my hair.”

Gook (2017) dir. Justin Chon

[filmsoundtracks-moved]

Gook 2017 directed by Justin Chon

[bermudeztriangle9]

David So - I'll Do from the movie Gook (2017)

[amazingmrcinema007]

Justin Chon shooting Gook in black and white as an homage to La Haine is pretty based. Tonally it's similar to the former as the lead characters are POC trying to get by in troubling times as their day descends into chaos. At times, it felt similar to Clerks with the humor and vibe of running a store.

[kabrainy]

Gook (2017)

A heartfelt film exploring families and relationships between Korean and African American communities set during the LA Riots

Gook is a film that was made with a clear goal in mind, however it took a while for it to come through when presented on screen.

It is extremely weak in the first half. It was very difficult to understand the importance of some sequences. And it wasn’t immediately clear as to why this was set during the LA riots. A lot of this is improved on in the second half. Emotional beats hit a lot harder, with more nuanced actions telling the story instead of the poorly written dialogue. The reasoning behind the backdrop of the LA riots became a lot clearer. Films set during a historical and larger struggle with a plot surrounding a more contained personal struggle can paint a very strong picture and this does succeed.

Going back to the dialogue, it really is awful most of the time. Every character swears so much but for no real reason other than for them to feel ‘ghetto’ I guess. The written dialogue, along with the subpar performances make this film so unbelievable for the most part. I will give credit, however, to the antagonist, Kevin, since you do have this hatred for him throughout the movie. A lot of characters feel a little more understandable in the second half and make more sense. 

The conflict and tension between the main two brothers is incredibly forced, the earlier scenes of conflict are so random and feel unorganic. Many sequences in this film are just random, namely the dance scene at the store. There was no clear rhyme or reason for most of it.

Visually, the film is okay. Some shots are well composed and convey a message without the use of words (especially the opening and final shots). But some shots looked unbalanced in the weight of the frame. Some cuts throughout are very disorienting and often breaks the 180 degree rule. The choice to have the film in Black and White makes it look decently better.

While I really enjoyed the second half, the awful attempts at drama and comedy in the former half are so draining to get past. So I can’t forgive that. There needed to be more time and effort in the writing of the first half. While we didn’t love it, Justin Chon did to a fairly good job here and I’m interested in what comes next if he puts more work into it. 

*Amazon prime had no subtitles, I was lost in the Korean speaking parts. Fuck you amazon/ distributers.

5/10