One of the awards season standouts, Lee Isaac Chung’s semi-autobiographical drama is a universal story of family and the lengths we go to for it.
David, a seven-year-old with a heart murmur, moves with his parents and sister from California to a mobile home in rural Arkansas. His father Jacob plans to start a farm specialising in Korean vegetables, while his mother Monica frets about money. However, the arrival of Monica’s mother from South Korea – certainly not the grandmother David had in mind – soon complicates matters. As seen through the eyes of David, this funny and moving film subverts Asian-American stereotypes by immersing its audience in the day-to-day experiences of the family, with Lee Isaac Chung shining a light on the modern American experience – a Grapes of Wrath for the 21st century.
