FILM: RANDALL PARK'S 'SHORTCOMINGS': ON FLAWED CHARACTERS AND ETHICAL DILEMMAS
BY IRVIN RIVERA
JUSTIN H MIN AND SHERRY COLA IN SHORTCOMINGS
Randall Park’s directorial debut, “Shortcomings” is a film on the character studies of the diversity of Asian American experiences in various levels (social status, race, gender, sexuality, culture). It stars Justin H. Min as Ben, a struggling filmmaker in Berkeley, California (Christopher in the upcoming “Turn Me On,” Ben Hargreeves in “The Umbrella Academy,” and Yang in “After Yang.”), Ally Maki as Miko (Taylor in “Hacks,” Ikumi in “Dear White People,”), Ben’s girlfriend and Sherry Cola as Alice, Ben’s queer best friend (Alice Kwan in “Good Trouble,” Helen (voice) in “Turning Red,”). It feels like a sociocultural commentary on different Asian-American experiences and nuances.
Shortcoming [noun] literally means the quality or state of being flawed or lacking which is what most of the characters represent. For the most part, this film seems like watching a collection of intertwined stories about flawed and awful people, with some redeemable qualities, but still ends up being problematic in the long run.
Take for instance Ben, who fits the stereotypical characteristics of an annoying, white guy you usually see presented on film and TV, only that he is Asian. There are some parts of me that wished that I know more about Ben’s motive and history, aside from growing up in a predominantly white neighborhood. To be fair though, Justin H. Min played the perfectly charming annoying lead. You hate his character but you also can’t help but hope for his redemption arc. I blame this partly on Alice’s equally charming character played by Sherry Cola, who kept giving Ben grace, mainly because of her relationship with her as her bestfriend.
PHOTO FROM LEFT, JUSTIN H. MIN, TIMOTHY SIMONS AND ALLY MAKI IN “SHORTCOMINGS.”CREDIT: JON PACK/SONY PICTURES CLASSICS
Ben is a jerk. He’s judgmental, self-absorbed, fickle, sarcastic, hypocritical and easily gets offended. The plot, which felt slow from the first quarter, gained momentum as soon as Miko, moved to New York for an internship opportunity. This prompted a break in their relationship which allowed Ben to explore other romantic options. At the same time, Alice is also dealing with her own crisis and decided to take a trip to New York where she eventually met Meredith, her girlfriend. Alice seemed to find some growth and maturity in the city and this left Ben lonely.
Ben met Autumn and Sasha, two white women who fits his fantasy but ended up not satiating something deep in him. He was then inspired to his job at a local, dying, movie theatre and took a trip to New York to visit Alice and eventually found out some truths about Alice’s supposed-to-be internship.
I have to commend the actors for effectively embodying and playing their flawed characters, making them relatable at the very least. This allowed the movie to be funny yet touching at times.
Randall Park's directorial debut is a triumph, offering a candid and thought-provoking exploration of identity and relationships in a modern world.
The film dabbles on several tropes and questions on race, identity, relationships, individuality, sexuality, and the questionable nature of one’s moral compass which then places the audience in a position of some sort of internalization. It often asks, “What would you really do in this scenario?” leaving crumbs of unanswered questions after the final scene rolls.
