Korean Popular Culture: “In Between Days” Analysis

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Table of Contents

In Between Days (2006)
Crossing Over (2009)
Works Cited

In Between Days (2006)

What aspect of immigration is revealed in the film?

The hardships of assimilation are put to the fore in the film In Between Days (2006). The teenage girl, Aimie, has to assimilate into Western society, which is quite a challenge for her. She has recently come from South Korea to a city in the USA or Canada where everything is so different from her home city (In Between Days). The viewer does not know about the feelings the girl experiences before leaving South Korea.

The viewer knows little about the family bonds or any other bonds that are mainly left behind. The focus is made on Aimie’s emotions in the new society. She alienates herself from the rest of the people and is reluctant to develop relationships with her peers. She feels like an alien in the new environment. The only person Aimie wants to build some bonds with is another teenage immigrant who is also trying to assimilate.

It is necessary to note that the vast majority of the challenges immigrants face are not in the spotlight. For example, financial constraints are only slightly touched upon when the girl’s mother is depicted. At the same time, feelings and internal struggle are central to the movie. The filmmakers decided to choose teenagers’ experiences to be able to focus on emotions related to assimilation. Identity is also central to the movie. The teenager’s search for self and the immigrant’s search for identity are intermingled. Each of these experiences can be quite traumatic, but a combination of the two is especially challenging.

What coping strategies are available for immigrants as shown in the movie?

Immigrants choose various coping strategies to address the issues related to assimilation. Some families try to find support within their families while others seek help in the community. The protagonist is looking for help in the romantic relationships she is trying to develop with her peer (In Between Days). It is necessary to note that adolescence is one of the most difficult stages in human life as the individual finds himself during this period.

Of course, being disconnected from people and places one knows is a very traumatic experience especially for a teenager. Thus, Aimie has a load of emotional issues to cope with. Her family bonds are not as strong as she is rather disconnected from her mother who raises the daughter without a husband. The girl has no siblings to find some support. Her assimilation into the new society is manifested in her relationships with an immigrant boy.

Aimie wants to be closer to the boy she likes, but she often feels that he does not feel the same way, which often makes her angry and even violent. Likewise, the girl has to become a part of the new society, but she feels that some people are not as eager to accept her, which also makes her frustrated. She chooses romantic emotions rather than feelings associated with assimilation (development of friendships, new acquaintances, and so on). It is noteworthy that the boy tends to choose quite a similar strategy as he tries to develop relationships with other immigrants and peers of the same descent. The filmmakers stress that some modern Koreans may be less connected to their families, which makes them look for other sources of support.

What topics concerning immigration do the filmmakers bring to the fore?

The movie under consideration puts very important questions as regards the role of the family in the process of assimilation. Aimie has a mother to rely on. She is far from her father, and she does not have any siblings. She feels very lonely. The teenager alienates herself from her mother, which often happens with adolescent girls. However, she also loses one of the primary sources of reconciliation and support in the new environment. The viewer is tempted to think about the girl’s relationship with the boy if she had a less dysfunctional family. It seems that Aimie would be happier and would not engage in such a relationship with the boy who does not cherish it.

The movie shows that immigrants have to cope with various issues. At the same time, one of the most important spheres is depicted. Of course, the lack of money, the lack of career opportunities, the cultural gap are essential problems, but the emotional sphere is still more relevant to these people’s wellbeing. More importantly, the filmmakers also draw people’s attention to the immigrants’ children who may be the most vulnerable groups.

Adolescent immigrants are looking for their selves and need support and guidance. The diverse US society (as well as any other Western society) should pay more attention to the needs of these people. Assimilation can never be successful if it is a one-sided process. The filmmakers show the importance of being more supportive and open as the successful assimilation of new immigrants leads to the wellbeing of the community as well as the entire country.

Crossing Over (2009)

What is the major idea of the movie?

The movie Crossing Over (2009) dwells upon the issues related to immigration. The central idea of the film is to show that immigration is a complex issue that cannot be considered in black and white. It has a very specific meaning for Americans as the vast majority of modern Americans are descendants of immigrants who came to the continent decades and centuries ago. There can be no single answer to whether the USA can and should accept more immigrants or whether immigrants should look for a better life or remain in their homelands.

The movie shows that the problems occur in every aspect of immigration in the USA including divided families, sorrow and despair of criminalized children, corruption, shortcomings of the system, and so on. Importantly, the movie reveals many reasons why people choose to immigrate to the USA. Again, those are complex issues, and each immigrant has a particular story that is very different from the rest. One of the characters, a teenage Muslim girl, articulates the major idea of the movie.

She questions the common view on the 9/11 hijackers trying to consider reasons for their actions (Crossing Over). Likewise, the filmmakers invite the viewer to consider the reasons immigrants may have. Thus, the major idea of the movie is to convey the complexity of the issue and start a lasting debate on the matter. American society has to pay more attention to these issues that may go out of people’s control and lead to negative consequences for the nation.

How are immigrants depicted in the movie?

It is necessary to note that immigrants are portrayed mainly in a positive way. They appear to be the victims of the vicious life circumstances or the system. For instance, the teenage girl has to leave the country she has lived in for more than a decade, and her whole family only because she was illegally brought to the country when she was three. The viewer is forced to think of all those immigrants’ children who could not possibly be responsible for their parents’ decisions and actions.

At the same time, immigrants are shown as people who may do some illegal and unethical things. For instance, an Australian actress agrees to provide sex services for several months for the green card. Her pain and disgust to herself are shown, but the viewer still starts being sympathetic as the woman’s reasons for acting that way are displayed. Another immigrant pretends to be a very religious person to get a job he needs very much. Of course, he does not commit any crime, but he breaks some ethical laws that can be even more crucial sometimes. One of the immigrants who can evoke negative attitudes is Yong Kim (Crossing Over).

He happens to rob a convenience store although he has a certain status and is going to be naturalized. However, he is also a victim rather than a villain as it is clear that he simply makes a mistake. All these stories show that immigrants are often ready to do anything to get the legal status in the country of their dream. This appears to be a distorted version of the American Dream. However, the filmmakers put an important question. They force the viewer to think about the true reasons for this distortion. Are immigrants so vicious to distort the idea? Life makes people do all those unethical, illegal, or even horrible things.

How are people of the system depicted?

The major idea of the film is also manifested in the way the people of the system are depicted. Those are also quite complex characters that do controversial things. In many cases, their actions evoke quite negative emotions. For instance, the immigration officer Frankel is quite a negative character as he makes a young woman have sex with him for some documents, for the legal status in the country. He uses the immigrant’s life circumstances to take advantage of the woman. The immigration defense attorney Frankel is one of the most positive people in the system. She tries to help those people, but still, her attempts seem cruel.

On the one hand, she helps the entire family including small children remain in the country. On the other hand, the mother and the oldest daughter have to leave. This is a good but very cruel option. Finally, the immigration officer Brogan is one of the most remarkable characters. Being a person of the system who reveals illegal immigrants, he still questions the benefits of the system. He sees the sorrow of many people. He witnesses the tragedy of a family where a young woman dies to provide a better future for her little son. The officer understands that the majority of those people who are seen as criminals by the system are victims. He stresses that those people deserve a better life in the country of millions of opportunities (Crossing Over). This seems to be one of the central points of the movie.

Works Cited

Crossing Over. Dir. Wayne Kramer. Santa Monica: Kennedy/Marshall. 2009. DVD.

In Between Days. Dir. So Yong Kim. New York: Kino International. 2006. DVD.

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