Note: Interviews and events referenced in this article took place before the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes and contains quotes from talent who are not members of those organizations. We stand in solidarity with members of both organizations.
With Shortcomings premiering at Sundance Film Festival, Randall Park could not have asked for a splashier directorial debut. The movie owes part of its positive reception to its relatively novel take on Asian American storytelling through everyday, mundane moments.
Cold Tea Collective’s Natasha Jung interviewed Justin H. Min (“Ben”), Ally Maki (“Miko”), and Randall Park about what exactly makes Shortcomings so special.
Just “Friends Hanging Out”
Shortcomings is based on Adrian Tomine’s 2007 graphic novel. Park recalls being immediately struck by the “everyday, lived-in quality” of the story when he read the novel soon after its release.
“I hadn’t seen media reflected back at me that felt so real and so deeply Asian American,” he says, “It felt like me and my friends hanging out.”
Scenes filled with relatable conversations in diners and sidewalks capture the authentic moments of daily Asian American life. Shortcomings departs from the focus on the Asian American family unit in contemporary critically-acclaimed films like Everything Everywhere All at Once or Minari, with its emphasis on friendships and romance.
The narrative revolves around Ben, a struggling filmmaker, and his girlfriend, Miko, who moves to New York City for an internship. With some space in their relationship, Ben and Miko navigate different possibilities in their lives. Park describes the movie as about flawed Asian Americans in the Bay Area who are at a crossroads in their lives and must confront impending change.
The value of an Asian American cast and crew
Park believes the strength of his film lies in its ability to draw out a deeply Asian American story without focusing explicitly on the “Asian American experience,” instead centering on the mundane moments of life. The success of Shortcomings, in large part, lies in the ability of the cast and crew to draw from specifics in their own lives to fuel the commentary on friendships and romantic relationships.
Maki, when playing the role of Miko, took from times in her own life where she felt like she had to tiptoe around people’s expectations of her as an Asian American woman. She could relate to when the character feels unable to say her true thoughts.
Maki wants Asian American women to understand from Shortcomings that “we don’t have to get it right.” The tiptoe-ing that Miko does as a result of her identity causes her to make poor choices that are not solely her fault but rather forced upon her as a product of her identity.
Min, when talking to Jung, reflects on how Ben’s character encapsulates a different kind of Asian American masculinity than typically shown on screen. He says the role touches on taboo topics in the community, like how men reconcile with failed ambitions, start interracial relationships, and examine how certain preferences could be linked to internal bias.
Namely, Min relates to Ben’s gradual understanding that he may not live up to his dreams. He recounts a line in the film where Ben talks about how he wanted to be the next Eric Rohmer but realizes that might be out of reach. Based on his own experience tempering expectations on his slow start to an acting career, Min could understand Ben in a deeper way.
“This idea and reckoning with ourselves that we might not be as extraordinary as we think we are or we were told we were going to be… it’s a really tough season of life,” says Min. “That really resonated with me.”
As Park puts it, “authenticity is at a premium nowadays.” Perhaps part of Shortcomings‘ well-received premiere at Sundance stems from the authenticity the cast and crew could bring to this story.
Advice on Shortcomings to avoid
Stepping into the world of directing was not easy for Park. He details his nervousness and the pressure to get it “right.” As a director, he realized he was no longer responsible for a deep understanding of one character but rather “thinking of the inner life of every character.”
To feel confident on set, he prepared with military-rigor during pre-production. He toiled to block out and storyboard each scene, even before producers had secured filming locations.
For Asian American creatives, Park encourages them to keep the love and fervor for the arts ablaze, even amidst challenging circumstances.
“Perseverance is key, and you can’t have perseverance without passion.” Park advises, “No matter the road, there are going to be people who make it difficult for you—maybe intentionally, maybe unintentionally—you have to make sure to keep that passion alive so you can keep fighting even after you get knocked down.”
Fans of Shortcomings can look forward to seeing many more projects currently in development come out of Imminent Collision, Park’s production company. In addition, Park expresses excitement for the release of Strays and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom later in 2023, in which he stars.
See also: Seeing beyond the burden of Asian representation: Randall Park in Blockbuster
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