Raspberry
2021 · 7m · USA
Directed by Julian Doan
Tones: absurdist, melancholic, tender
A Korean-American family gathers around their just-deceased patriarch, each member processing grief differently — the youngest son feels emotionally distant and like an outsider, but ultimately finds his own unconventional way to say goodbye that the family comes to accept.
Picked by Zoe
The scouts
Korean-American grief in the actual room the director's father died in, static camera, absurdist title gag. The Swiss Army Man comparison is more honest than most — this could land or it could be a stunt.
Doan shot in the actual bedroom where his father died — a fact that the static-camera grief grammar honors rather than exploits. Static cinema in the Hong Sang-soo tradition, applied to a Korean-American family register.
Shot in a single day in the actual bedroom where the director's real father died, with a static camera and final absurdist gesture giving the film its title — that biographical-location commitment is real, not gimmick. Sundance selection at 7:17 with 53K views suggests the title beat lands.
Reviews
Uses its length as a strength...easily one of the most complete, well-built, satisfying shorts.
A heartfelt short feature who manages to tell a family drama about dealing with grief in a very human and articulate way.
Festivals
- Sundance Film Festival 2021