FILM / Zora's Super Short Show / Kimchi Fried Dumplings / Zora Satchell
In the words of underrated Canadian pop icon Carly Rae Jepsen, it ain't Christmas until someone cries. While watching cheesy Hallmark holiday rom-coms (my favorite is the Christmas Card), or gorging on sweets are a fun part of the season, the holidays can also be infamously difficult due to long standing family tensions and conflicts. Whether it's oppressive politics or general toxicity, being the only one pushing back can suck the joy right out of the season. With this in mind, I chose Kimchi Fried Dumplings, written and directed by Jason Karman, for this month's review, because what says “holiday spirit” more than family drama? Kimchi Fried Dumplings is a 2013 holiday short about a gay Canadian named Carl who returns to his estranged parents’ house for the first time since his father's stroke a year and a half earlier.
Carl is the prodigal son archetype; the distance and tension between family members is palatable from the moment he knocks on the door. As the eldest of the three children, it was expected that Carl would return home to help support his father as he recovered from his stroke. Unfortunately, Carl's partner of ten years leaves him around the same time as his father’s health crisis. Devastated by the breakup, Carl isolates himself from his family, leaving the care of his father to his youngest brother, Adam. Knowing next to nothing about his father’s condition or how it has impacted his family, Carl returns with a new boyfriend in tow, but the consequences of his emotional distance cannot be ignored.
For most members of the family, the distance is expressed in quiet moments: the mother calling Carl’s partner, Tim, by Carl’s ex partner’s name, or middle brother Daniel's bewildered expression as he leans in for a “we weren’t expecting you” hug. For caretaker Adam, however, the distance is open and hostile from the moment he lays eyes on Carl. Adam is resentful of Carl’s abandoning of his responsibilities, and the idea that Carl can waltz back as if nothing happened enrages him. Rather than discussing this plainly, Adam peppers their dialogue with passive aggressive jabs, leaving his brother Carl befuddled.
The confrontation between the two brothers finally boils over on the sidewalk in front of their house. As Carl explains why he stayed away, Adam reveals that the weight of being his father’s full time care provider had strained his own relationship to the breaking point, further emphasizing the selfishness of Carl’s decision. The brothers make up, and Carl decides to extend his stay and finally lend a hand. The short ends on a hopeful note as Carl begins his journey to rebuild a close family bond.
A good holiday movie needs a happy ending. As I watched this short, I found myself wrapped in a familial tension that felt all too familiar; I know how deeply difficult reconciliation can be. Most of us do. Unacknowledged childhood pain coupled with unspoken resentments that simmer all year long are a recipe for tension and drama when you pile everyone into the same house for a celebration. The things we work so hard not to say turn into an ugly monster, looming over every interaction, making it that much tougher to reestablish trust. This year especially, with COVID creating additional difficulties for every family, I appreciated the hopeful ending Kimchi Fried Dumplings gives its viewers. The hope for connection (or rather reconnection) is realized for Carl and it is a hope I carry for us all this holiday season.
