Korean Americans actors, besides comedian Margaret Cho and Star Trek star John Cho, are rarely afforded roles in American feature films. In that respect, Spa Night is cause for celebration.
The coming-of-age drama, from first-time feature film-maker Andrew Ahn (his short film Dol premiered at the 2012 Sundance film festival), is a rarity among films shot in the US: it takes place in Los Angeles’ densely populated Koreatown neighbourhood, and features a cast made up solely of Korean American actors. While it’s invigorating to see that area’s community given a voice on screen, Ahn’s muted approach to his material, coupled with the passivity of the film’s lead character, David Cho (Joe Seo), leaves Spa Night feeling too cold to fully engage.
Seo is fresh faced but emotionally a little vacant as David, a good-looking teen on the verge of manhood. From the outset of Spa Night, it’s clear David’s uncomfortable in his own skin. Silent and reticent, he shows no signs of worry when his family restaurant is forced to close due to slow business. His mother, Soyoung (Haerry Kim), quickly finds another waitressing gig through a friend from church, while his father, Jin (Youn Ho Cho), struggles to catch up and provide support.
At the behest of Soyoung, David agrees to shadow a family friend’s son at the local college to get a feel for what lies ahead. He slowly comes into his own over his short time away, feigning the odd smile and chuckle, and showing visible sexual interest in his male roommate.
His burgeoning sexuality further flowers when David begins to partake in some male-on-male hanky-panky in a local Korean spa, after secretly taking on a job in the establishment to keep his family financially afloat. His parents, meanwhile, remain unaware of his activity, under the assumption that David’s away at nights taking SAT classes to be admitted into college.
The all-male Korean spa, where guests have to disrobe completely to gain entry, is a foreign environment for many. David’s journey, however, feels a bit familiar. Countless dramas about a young person coming of age, while grappling with their sexuality, have been made over the years. Standouts like Pariah and Circumstance tackled such storylines from fresh perspectives that allowed room for surprise and fresh insight.
Despite its setting and Korean American cast, Spa Night unfurls in a largely expected manner, with David struggling to embrace his identity because of his strict religious upbringing, while trying to make his family proud. He’s portrayed so opaquely that’s it’s difficult to connect with his dilemma.
Ahn is more successful at relaying the emotional complexity of David’s parents’ plight as Korean immigrants fighting for a better life for their son. It’s their story that resonates in the end.
