Let's be clear about where this review is gonna go. Lily Mariye has created an amazing film of complex characters that is driven by an outstanding performance by lead actress Nicole Bloom in her first feature film role. Not only does Nicole command your attention, but she has the ability to weave through the diversity of her character's emotions without banging the audience over the head with extremes. No doubt she and the other actors have the director to thank for defining all the characters carefully without making them dramatic, dull or one dimensional. While the film deals with an interracial family and some of the issues specific to being hapa, it doesn't diminish the fact that the issues of family, adolescence, love and pain cannot be understand and the characters being relatable to anyone who sees the film. The story is original, insightful and in the end thought provoking showing the trial and tribulations of life and growing up along with all the hope and joy that life has to offer. In case you didn't read the first couple of sentences or forgot already, this is a film to put on your "must see" list.
4 Reviews
A Painful, Moving, and Inspirational Story
lavatch11 February 2021
Warning: Spoilers
"Model Minority" could be called a coming-of-age story in which everything goes wrong. The protagonist, Kayla Tanaka, is an exceptional student and a promising artist. She even has a special opportunity in an upcoming summer artist's workshop. Then, her world begins to fall apart. The decline happens so fast that the film unfolds much like a Greek tragedy.
The film goes to great lengths to demonstrate the damaging impact of Kayla's family on her. The father is a drinker, and the mother is a junkie. On top of the daily humiliations, the parents are getting a divorce. Kayla even takes on the responsibility of procuring drugs at the insistence of her mother.
It is at this point that Kayla becomes involved with a young drug dealer. The gifts that he lavishes, as well as the attention he pays her, must be like a drug to Kayla. She lets her studies slide and gets involved more completely with the drug lord. When he is arrested, he sells her out, and she faces a potentially long period in juvenile detention.
There was a gritty realism to the film with great footage of Los Angeles. There was also effective use of close-ups and camera angles. Stylistically, it was almost as if the narrative was unfolding as a documentary.
A turning point in the film occurs with the court appearance of Kayla's grandmother, who was an inmate in one of the California internment camps for Japanese American citizens during World War II. The grandmother, Reiko Tanaka, is the most interesting character in the film, a stoic figure who steadfastly believes in her granddaughter.
It was the grandmother's testimony that convinced the judge to release Kayla to her custody. It was also the grandmother's words of wisdom that now motivate Kayla to persevere and endure. In the closing moments, the film offers a ray of hope for a young artist who is turning the page to write a new chapter of her life.
The film goes to great lengths to demonstrate the damaging impact of Kayla's family on her. The father is a drinker, and the mother is a junkie. On top of the daily humiliations, the parents are getting a divorce. Kayla even takes on the responsibility of procuring drugs at the insistence of her mother.
It is at this point that Kayla becomes involved with a young drug dealer. The gifts that he lavishes, as well as the attention he pays her, must be like a drug to Kayla. She lets her studies slide and gets involved more completely with the drug lord. When he is arrested, he sells her out, and she faces a potentially long period in juvenile detention.
There was a gritty realism to the film with great footage of Los Angeles. There was also effective use of close-ups and camera angles. Stylistically, it was almost as if the narrative was unfolding as a documentary.
A turning point in the film occurs with the court appearance of Kayla's grandmother, who was an inmate in one of the California internment camps for Japanese American citizens during World War II. The grandmother, Reiko Tanaka, is the most interesting character in the film, a stoic figure who steadfastly believes in her granddaughter.
It was the grandmother's testimony that convinced the judge to release Kayla to her custody. It was also the grandmother's words of wisdom that now motivate Kayla to persevere and endure. In the closing moments, the film offers a ray of hope for a young artist who is turning the page to write a new chapter of her life.
One of the few films that make me cry
missraze7 April 2023
Screw that review who said the soundtrack is "wretched"; here I am now searching for the rest of the soundtrack. When I discovered this film last year, I fell in love with the ending scene song, and Song For Mia by Lizz Wright has been replayed countlessly when I need to purge negativity. Yea it might be a typical teen TV movie song, like something in a classic Lifetime film, but it's a beautiful song. There are also beautiful scores here and other great songs, especially the opening song. It's a matter of opinion but some things are pure fact. They are, in fact, technically good songs; not liking the song doesn't mean it's not good. I say all this to say that a good soundtrack is important even if it's not needed.
This film said a lot without saying much. It showed racism without being offensive or out of touch; this movie shows that there is many times a racist coalition between whites and Asians towards other minorities; hence making Asians the "model minority." Asians can onlook while whites, such as the mother in the movie, throw slurs at blacks, and it's a reality that the film does in what seems an understated or simple way. Also, the black/Latino shoppers who were honestly trying to shop are told to leave while the hapa girl who is actually stealing is able to steal due to the shopkeeper being distracted shooing the brown skinned people away. It's similar to a scene in Takeout Girl about an Asian drug mule; the kingpin who recruited her to move narcos for them specifically said the Asian girl would be perfect for this job because "she's never seen" as in, not racially profiled by police typically (I know LA has Asian gangs but it's rare compared to the amount of Asians who fulfill the Model Minority type). The characters here do not fulfill the trope; the title is sardonic. I like that this movie is not exalting people who are mixed with white. I'm sure many people relate to the onscreen family. The only "problem" is that, from the mouths of many hapas, most of their issues comes from having an immoral white dad, and an Asian tiger mom. That is a far "better" storyline because it's more prevalent in reality; most hapas have white dads and Asian moms. This movie had the opposite, but it was still fine to depict what happens when you do not achieve the American Dream, though your template is perfectly prepared for it. Asians are model minorities because they're a nonwhite group that many times does better than whites. But they're not magicians or unicorns; their kids do drugs, drop out, hate their parents, have self esteem issues etc. Even when they're half white and probably moreso. The white mom pretty much says that she got with the Japanese dad because he had a promising future in the engineering world; yet he ended up a manual laborer who picked up a drinking habit from his chauvinistic coworkers. It is interesting to see an unsuccessful Asian; since Hollywood refuses to diversify (despite the token Oscar-thrown movie every year about minorities), we do not see what Asian Americans can really go through, and mythify them as "model minorities." More feature length movies about Asian American realism need to happen and they need to happen now (not bro movies or rom-coms either or whatever Everything Everywhere All At Once is, but serious movies about real and contemporary Asian American and hapa families).
Sure, one of the major downfalls of the interracial family can be blamed on black/Latino males who drug deal to the mom; there are drug dealers of all races, but whatever. But there was a black boy in the movie who Kayla liked, but she rejected him even though he was from a higher class than her and her family. Yet, she gladly dated a black drug dealer, and the mom slept with black drug dealers to get discounts on drugs, and Amberlyn the poor little sister started messing around with a black drug dealer even though 98% of the film, Amberlyn is rather entitled in being mixed and turns her cheek to racism. However, I don't think that the writer/director(s) is confused; I think the characters are confused. Racism is silly essentially, so making sense of it will eventually fail and racists will always be inconsistent, always. This film shows that. Hapas must date other hapas, whites, or successful Asians apparently. Failing that, date a colored drug dealer and claim it as a momentary lapse of judgement, or plead insanity or something. I will never understand why she dated Treyshawn and not JJ. Never. The only thing I can think of, is that Treyshawn isn't as black as JJ? Maybe he gets a pass for being mixed race or Latino? I don't know, but clearly Kayla has issues. "My dad is gone and my mom is crazy; let's date a black drug dealer." I don't know. She could've had a different downfall, such as getting into porn or drugs herself. Perhaps this movie is saying that while Kayla is not a true model minority, she still likes to be exalted by someone even if he happens to be a drug dealer. Model minorities are all about exaltation and Kayla never gets it otherwise.
The only thing I hate about this movie is, sorry to say, the casting. I'm sure they could've found a better girl to play Kayla who lacks charisma and personality, sorry; Nicole Sakura is a pretty girl, but she seems very withdrawn. She always looked like she was holding a fart in. Maybe Kayla is withdrawn, but you can be withdrawn with feeling as an actor. Maybe her script failed her; they could've shown her losing her mind a bit; she holds up quite well all things considered; she never cried or yelled or swore or fought from what I remember.
They could've definitely found better actors to play the black drug dealers who clearly are not from this lifestyle (which is a good thing) but it made their villainous roles stale and unconvincing and the script should've consulted with someone who knows "street talk" because the slang and delivery was just bad. "Ay what up girl? You got bank?" Yeah, never. One of them also called their dad "my paw." Um no. Black people (who use slang, that is) call their dads "Pops." Not...paw, wtf. This is not a secret, hidden code word; it is common public knowledge. Also thugs are "mack-ish", ghetto casanovas especially when it comes to women who they must philander to bait them; the guy playing Treyshawn and his script missed the mark by miles, sorry. I know, I know, no one cares about proper cultural representation especially of black people, but if you're going to write black people particularly from a certain subculture and put them in over 50% of the movie, then get it right. Treyshawn's actor could've/should've practiced talking sexy in the mirror before he started filming like licking his lips, and talking with a slower drawl. Since the dealers are in majority of the movie, it becomes potentially unwatchable to see them fail at their characters, but the story around it is too good to abandon the movie for a couple bad actors. Chris Tashima is sexy and ageless. The Grandma and JJ had the best actors.
The movie is so good that, despite weak performances and some weak parts in the script, I still felt the story and still cried at the ending. Song For Mia wasn't even needed to add to the melodramatics; it's just a sad situation.
This film said a lot without saying much. It showed racism without being offensive or out of touch; this movie shows that there is many times a racist coalition between whites and Asians towards other minorities; hence making Asians the "model minority." Asians can onlook while whites, such as the mother in the movie, throw slurs at blacks, and it's a reality that the film does in what seems an understated or simple way. Also, the black/Latino shoppers who were honestly trying to shop are told to leave while the hapa girl who is actually stealing is able to steal due to the shopkeeper being distracted shooing the brown skinned people away. It's similar to a scene in Takeout Girl about an Asian drug mule; the kingpin who recruited her to move narcos for them specifically said the Asian girl would be perfect for this job because "she's never seen" as in, not racially profiled by police typically (I know LA has Asian gangs but it's rare compared to the amount of Asians who fulfill the Model Minority type). The characters here do not fulfill the trope; the title is sardonic. I like that this movie is not exalting people who are mixed with white. I'm sure many people relate to the onscreen family. The only "problem" is that, from the mouths of many hapas, most of their issues comes from having an immoral white dad, and an Asian tiger mom. That is a far "better" storyline because it's more prevalent in reality; most hapas have white dads and Asian moms. This movie had the opposite, but it was still fine to depict what happens when you do not achieve the American Dream, though your template is perfectly prepared for it. Asians are model minorities because they're a nonwhite group that many times does better than whites. But they're not magicians or unicorns; their kids do drugs, drop out, hate their parents, have self esteem issues etc. Even when they're half white and probably moreso. The white mom pretty much says that she got with the Japanese dad because he had a promising future in the engineering world; yet he ended up a manual laborer who picked up a drinking habit from his chauvinistic coworkers. It is interesting to see an unsuccessful Asian; since Hollywood refuses to diversify (despite the token Oscar-thrown movie every year about minorities), we do not see what Asian Americans can really go through, and mythify them as "model minorities." More feature length movies about Asian American realism need to happen and they need to happen now (not bro movies or rom-coms either or whatever Everything Everywhere All At Once is, but serious movies about real and contemporary Asian American and hapa families).
Sure, one of the major downfalls of the interracial family can be blamed on black/Latino males who drug deal to the mom; there are drug dealers of all races, but whatever. But there was a black boy in the movie who Kayla liked, but she rejected him even though he was from a higher class than her and her family. Yet, she gladly dated a black drug dealer, and the mom slept with black drug dealers to get discounts on drugs, and Amberlyn the poor little sister started messing around with a black drug dealer even though 98% of the film, Amberlyn is rather entitled in being mixed and turns her cheek to racism. However, I don't think that the writer/director(s) is confused; I think the characters are confused. Racism is silly essentially, so making sense of it will eventually fail and racists will always be inconsistent, always. This film shows that. Hapas must date other hapas, whites, or successful Asians apparently. Failing that, date a colored drug dealer and claim it as a momentary lapse of judgement, or plead insanity or something. I will never understand why she dated Treyshawn and not JJ. Never. The only thing I can think of, is that Treyshawn isn't as black as JJ? Maybe he gets a pass for being mixed race or Latino? I don't know, but clearly Kayla has issues. "My dad is gone and my mom is crazy; let's date a black drug dealer." I don't know. She could've had a different downfall, such as getting into porn or drugs herself. Perhaps this movie is saying that while Kayla is not a true model minority, she still likes to be exalted by someone even if he happens to be a drug dealer. Model minorities are all about exaltation and Kayla never gets it otherwise.
The only thing I hate about this movie is, sorry to say, the casting. I'm sure they could've found a better girl to play Kayla who lacks charisma and personality, sorry; Nicole Sakura is a pretty girl, but she seems very withdrawn. She always looked like she was holding a fart in. Maybe Kayla is withdrawn, but you can be withdrawn with feeling as an actor. Maybe her script failed her; they could've shown her losing her mind a bit; she holds up quite well all things considered; she never cried or yelled or swore or fought from what I remember.
They could've definitely found better actors to play the black drug dealers who clearly are not from this lifestyle (which is a good thing) but it made their villainous roles stale and unconvincing and the script should've consulted with someone who knows "street talk" because the slang and delivery was just bad. "Ay what up girl? You got bank?" Yeah, never. One of them also called their dad "my paw." Um no. Black people (who use slang, that is) call their dads "Pops." Not...paw, wtf. This is not a secret, hidden code word; it is common public knowledge. Also thugs are "mack-ish", ghetto casanovas especially when it comes to women who they must philander to bait them; the guy playing Treyshawn and his script missed the mark by miles, sorry. I know, I know, no one cares about proper cultural representation especially of black people, but if you're going to write black people particularly from a certain subculture and put them in over 50% of the movie, then get it right. Treyshawn's actor could've/should've practiced talking sexy in the mirror before he started filming like licking his lips, and talking with a slower drawl. Since the dealers are in majority of the movie, it becomes potentially unwatchable to see them fail at their characters, but the story around it is too good to abandon the movie for a couple bad actors. Chris Tashima is sexy and ageless. The Grandma and JJ had the best actors.
The movie is so good that, despite weak performances and some weak parts in the script, I still felt the story and still cried at the ending. Song For Mia wasn't even needed to add to the melodramatics; it's just a sad situation.
Inauthentic
timlin-419 July 2013
The plot is contrived and even the "ethnic" elements seem formulaic, as if some white kid from the suburbs thought it up. "Good girl from dysfunctional family gets involved with a bad crowd"--a classic, but this presentation is just too tame. The characters are not very plausible, and even the "victim" characters are unsympathetic, which really deflates the melodramatic resolution of the movie. The soundtrack is wretched. That said, while there is nothing very interesting going on in this movie, it's not that unpleasant to watch. The story develops smoothly, the characters go through the expected motions, the production is good enough: it's uninspired, not stupid. Or maybe I just have a fetish for girls riding bicycles.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
