Sunday Short Theatre – Koreatown

Apologies for missing out last week with Sunday Short Theatre. Today we bring you the Short Koreatown directed by Grant Hyun. The 12 minute film delves into the secret lives of the ‘Doumi’ (Korean term for escort/Host). Earning good money, company to men and women who are looking for company.

We follow the story of a young male Doumi Kyeong. He sings for his clients in the Karaoke Bar every night, some women get even more.Pushed some nights to the limits, its an unforgiving profession, pushing the illusion of love.

One night an mysterious woman pays for him to come home with her. When Kyeong finally sees the full extent of her request, it’s too late to turn back.

At a discreet host bar in Los Angeles, Kyeong uses his talent and charm to create the illusion of love for the women who hire him. When a new client pays him for a “2nd round,” Kyeong discovers too late that behind her kindly demeanor lies a disturbing request.

From the sands of time, women have always been seen objects of desire. When it comes to the oldest profession in the world prostitution its always women. Koreatown is an role reversal, showing it from a male perspective as the escort. Still we see the sexual objectification as well as a look at sexuality especially Asian male in Western society.

Hyun describes his film as a ‘coming-of-age story, intersected with glimpses into the lives of the female customers’. Thanks to his producer Ashleigh Kim who introduced him to a male friend who worked as a male doumi in Koreatown (which is in Los Angeles). He was able to make his film from that persons account…

The dynamic of the male doumi/female client relationship inspired me not just because of the gender reversal to western depictions of escorts, but also because of the ways it disrupts racial stereotypes about Asian men and women.”

Koreatown was chosen as a ‘finalist’ for the Coppola Short Film Competition by Gus Van Sant. When you watch the film you can see Nicolas Winding Refn has inspired the film. From the neon lighting to the narrative as well as the distorted atmospheric soundtrack.

Source: Shortoftheweek


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