WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
Provision. Subsistence. Vocation. Our work we have chosen to strive for is what places the food on the table, the clothes to wear on our backs, the place to call home over our heads. When it comes to taking care of our family, this becomes even more important to sustain as time moves on. In a place of expectancy thanks to whatever this employment path has brought about, interruption occurring which disturbs the pattern can be more than just an inconvenience, but possibly a drastically life-changing event. In Alaska, an immigrant family–DongSu (Jongman Kim), his wife JaeJeong (Taehee Kim), and daughter GeEun (Hailey Soomin Lee)–is experiencing an unprecedented time–the prolonged closure of the Alaskan crab fisheries DongSu relies on for his income. Now, a decision must be made, but will his stubbornness or his wife’s common sense win out when it comes to the unavoidable choice in front of them?
Next, my Mind:
The American Dream is a concept we hear of often, and I feel that the draw of it holds even stronger for those who immigrate from other lands with the hopes and belief that it WILL be a better place to start fresh or further build upon what has already been established, offering the opportunities to finally LIVE. However, it seems no matter where you go, even here in the United States, there can potentially be unforeseen challenges and obstacles to obtaining that dream, and this 16-minute Oscar qualifying short film from writer/director Justin Kim WooSok, writer Ki Jin Kim, producers Tim Beers Jr. and Sara Beers, plus executive producers Constanza Castro, Domenica Castro, Naomi Funabashi, Rishi Rajani, and Lena Waithe dives headlong with a vengeance into these exact scenarios, doing so with affecting potency and compelling relevance that reflects our contemporary times as well as the basic struggles for survival we must sometimes face as human beings.
The fourth film I’ve now seen from the award-winning production house Hillman Grad, made in conjunction with 271 Films and Indeed Film’s incredibly excellent and fully necessary “Rising Voices” initiative, while also founded on true events, the narrative we’re seeing delves into the travails of an immigrant family in Alaska whose livelihood has been unceremoniously interrupted by the collapse of the industry they rely on, causing a forced, frantic, and tense assessment of what precisely the future holds for them in the place they call home. In itself, just the cornerstone emphasis on the harsh realities that can come about in being a part of the fishing business in any form speaks volumes to the story’s convincingly grounded purpose and how it conveys with fervent strength the choices that not only have to be made, but the sheer, unadulterated COMMITMENT to a difficult career that those involved have, the LOVE of it, and the sense of LOSS that comes from NOT being able to be on the sea working and providing for one’s own.
In tandem with this, the film then explores the notion of intense familial bonds in a time of overt stress and the differing attitudes that arise, in this case, between a husband and wife as to the resolution needed to confront the truths present, with one acknowledging them and another resisting them, so that common ground can be achieved and what is realistically BEST all-around for everyone can be experienced. The film’s direction certainly doesn’t remotely shy away from being candid in this, which only adds to the depth of intent the narrative is striving for. Additional thematic elements then find their way into the mix, ranging from illustrating our innate stubbornness to accept things we cannot change, fighting for what we believe in, and wanting to BE successful in the job we’ve endeavored to maintain, to the desire to learn, the frustrations of having to be patient in uncertainty, weighing pros and cons of a important decision, and realizing that swallowing one’s pride can indeed be an essential requirement when having to compromise for the betterment of those you cherish. I will just say then that the finale here speaks for itself.
Jongman Kim excels here with a performance that is so beautifully infused with understated subtlety that still emotes a fiery energy which befits the character he plays, DongSu, an immigrant crab fisherman whose now discovering that the well has dried up and despite believing it will improve, is not seeing that occur. Stuck in the aggravation of being caught between the proverbial rock and a hard place, his initial unwillingness to believe leaving Alaska for a new start is the correct move gets seriously questioned by his wife who believes it is THE move they need to make for the sake of sanity and better opportunities elsewhere. The atmosphere of self-reflection that is created by this agitating state of affairs is carried so well by Kim throughout the film, as he embodies the demeanor of stress, yearning for change, and unwavering (perhaps misplaced though) optimism things WILL turn around while also being credible as the father/husband DongSu wishes to be for his family. A wonderful performance through and through.
Taehee Kim also comes across with confidence and ardent emotional vigor through her role as DongSu’s wife JaeJeong who is attempting her level best to handle and address the situation at hand from a far more feasible, though NO less difficult, point of view. Frustrated by DongSu’s dogged resistance to her ongoing suggestion that they must entertain moving away from a beloved home for the chances to re-start anew, JaeJeong clearly still loves and supports him in spite of his obstinacy, allowing herself to express the anger she feels while wanting to, albeit somewhat reluctantly, give their circumstances more chances to improve–even when it’s apparent it won’t happen. Will her voice of reason win out becomes the question, and I applaud Kim for not permitting herself to be melodramatic with the degree of volatility her character is voicing, rather tempering it with wholly believable gravitas and accessibility. Saying this is no exaggeration, for this critic has seen times where that magnitude of sentiment is overacted, which takes away from its purpose. Not the case here thanks to Kim’s talents.
Primary supporting roles arrive from Lee as GeEun, the couple’s sensitive but also somewhat tempestuous daughter who’s effectively stuck in the middle of her two parents having a disagreement about the direction the family needs to go, Paul Dillon as Capt. Liam, the head of the boat DongSu works on and who has been teaching his fisherman a thing or two about being a leader even though DongSu isn’t having a chance to put into action what he’s been taught, Spencer Kramber is Mason, a fellow fisherman, plus Cole Connor and Benjamin J. Shearin as deckhands on the boat. Additional appearances are made by Daniel Corona, Victor Ramirez, Giuseppe Battaglia, and Moises Godoy. So, in total, “Sarajin” (aka: “Disappearing”), is an raw, unflinching, impactful glimpse into loss, the trials of pursuing that which you love when the cards are down and the circumstances are staring you in the face, ushering in a point of evaluation that will test your resolve, try your patience, but also remind you of what’s most integral in life and the subsequent decisions that will ensure that love and family ultimately wins out over anything else and that reality, anticipated or otherwise, is a tough taskmaster.
STAR RATING (out of 5):
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
