Gran Torino
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I normally don’t mention/review movies I really like, because I find that some critic somewhere has generally said what I would say. That may even be the case here, but I feel compelled to make a brief post, because I’m ashamed of some of the Asian American reaction out there to this movie.
It’s a beautiful movie. It’s not perfect, as the Hmong cast is weak (but I commend the effort, and Clint’s attempt at inclusion), but the movie does what it sets out to do, and hits a few important American and human themes: that redemption is possible, that you don’t have to look or sound good to be good, that we need to better ourselves, and that takes work, that racial identity is important, and that everyone, ultimately, can get along, because humanity as a whole has more in common than recent political and academic thought might suggest. (This is probably not a complete list.)
The movie is not racist. The movie is not about a great white savior about a people who can’t save themselves, and it’s not an excuse to hurl (hilarious) racial epithets for 2-ish hours. The movie is about being a man, and what that means to a haunted and bitter old man, and a young kid who will probably go down a bad road (and what the culture can and cannot do, given the historical and economic context). Anyone who thinks otherwise, and this seems to be most of the Asian-American blogosphere, is a pussycake dipshit zipper-head fuckface. Fuck the fuck right off, seriously, for the rest of us who actually have perspective.
In the last 10-ish years, we’ve seen the development, in mass-media, of a self-consciously offensive current which deliberately resists political correctness and linguistic sensitivity. I view this as positive, natural, and necessary: parts of the liberal elite haven’t quite gotten it yet. What these sorts of people don’t seem to understand is that when someone creates something with “offensive language” knowing that it is offensive and demonstrates, by their reputation, actions, or the general context that they are not in fact racist/ sexist/ homophobic, then that work (statement, music, movie, etc.) can no longer be straightforwardly “racist.”
Works of this sort (South Park, Borat, Gran Torino, a ton of other comedians and shows) do not offend against people or groups: they are offending against an oppressive political correctness which stifles free expression, open dialogue and humor, and they tend to mock more the expressor of the opinion (a persona, a worldview, a character) than the object of the opinion. What the P.C. liberal doesn’t recognize is when she takes the statement or work to be “racist,” she in fact becomes the oppressor. It’s ignorant and disgusting: it’s a higher-level form of oppression. And these days, people care less and less. The current generation has grown up with consciously offensive art and humor, and they know how to take things in a context which Boomer and Gen X dinosaurs do not: the only thing worse than being wrong is being irrelevant. And I have to admit, I’ve felt this way about the AA blogosphere for quite some time.
At any rate, I congratulate Clint for making a hilarious, touching, and beautiful movie, and I hope he takes a multicultural stretch again.
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King4aDay
1:05 pm | Jan 26, 2009Wow, looks like I’m going to have to actually go and see this one after all, in order to be able to comment on it intelligently beyond my initital knee-jerk.
ninajoy
2:33 am | Feb 04, 2009i’m going to wait til it gets to the dollar show. i want to see for myself what its really about but also…its shot in detroit!! i have to see movies filmed here, its like a civic duty or something.
Han
10:25 am | Feb 26, 2009Before word of Gran Torino hit mainstream I learned of the project through an Asian American class. I was surprised that there would be a big budget Hollywood movie with actual Hmong American actors. But the movie seemed to be another “white man saves the day” kind of film. The trailer didn’t even hint Hmong; the only indication of (mistaken) ethnicity is Walt’s one liner of “why these Chinese have to move in here” line.
From what I’ve gathered through a series of Asian American blogs, the majority of people feel that; 1. The Hmong American characters lack depth and complexity (while giving other characters depth and complexity is important, the fact that the majority of the Hmong leads and supporting actors were all first time might explain that); 2. Eastwood’s film is just another “white savior” doctrine; and 3. The racial slurs might have been a little too much however for the purpose of the film.
However, the heavy usage was not as much of a concern as was the audience reaction across America. There is concern among our community that people were laughing too often, too loudly and for too long. That people would laugh at such inappropriate areas can be for several reasons; people either is laughing because others are laughing, laughing because their inherently uncomfortable hearing such terms, laughing because they think racist people like Walt are ridiculous or as I imagine, some actually think it’s funny.
While the majority of the bloggers I read shared similar reactions and thoughts, one Asian American blogger felt almost hurt that so much of the Asian American community disliked the movie. They list some points that as Asian Americans we should; 1. Feel proud to have the Hmong American community brought to mainstream attention, 2. See that it’s the Hmong family that actually “saves” Walt, 3. The over usage of racial slurs only brings to light language that many people might and probably do engage in. All of which are valid points, worth looking at. It’s important to note that the blogs I visited were all Asian American run, with the exception of one that was a minority and racism blog; and of those only one blogger is identified as a Korean American blogger.
Within the Hmong community there are also equally mixed feelings. I had a chance to meet with Doua Moua, who is Spider (cousin to the lead Hmong gang member in the film) and find out how he felt about the movie. His reaction was a positive one and he felt by portraying the gang aspect of Hmong life in America was quite true to life. As an actor within the film, he felt proud to have a role.
Others who also had roles in the film held particularly high views of the direction and production by Eastwood, seeing the film as mainly positive. Worth praising is the use of only Hmong/American actors and not using other ethnicities to pretend to be Hmong. Within the general community it appears that many feel that the movie is a positive step for the Hmong American community to gain attention. This is particularly so to take away from the stigma that the Hmong community might be viewed as a violent community, due to the shooting incident of the Hmong hunter who had killed six white hunters in Wisconsin a few years back. As the Hmong entertainer, Tou Ger Xiong, said in a short interview with Minnesota Public Radio station, “First things first, let’s get our foot in the door. Complain later.”