The 1992 Los Angeles Uprising is one of the most famous and least taught events of the early 1990's. In all of the history classes I took in middle school and high school, I only remember it being mentioned in passing.
In case you hadn't previously learned about what had happened, four LAPD police officers were videotaped brutally beating down Rodney King while arresting him. They were later acquitted of all crimes, leading to the riots.
This is an extremely simplified account of the events. It fails to mention any of the pre-existing tensions between the African and Korean communities, the history of police brutality against minority groups, the various disparities and so forth.
And maybe I'm doing a disservice by undercutting the events so severely.
But it wasn't until college that I was given a thorough crash course in the events surrounding the eventual chaos. The perspective offered to me from those courses were from one of two sources: White America and Black America.
They typically left out the stories of the Korean families impacted during this time.
This is where Justin Chon's 2017 feature film, "Gook," comes in to play. It tells the tale of two Korean-American brothers, their familial issues with each other and their community, their struggle managing their late father's shoe store in LA and their friendship with a young black girl from their neighborhood.
It's heavily nuanced but dances through the dense and complex history that it's based on with finesse and integrity. It's rough around the edges, but it doesn't pull its punches where lesser films would have. Justin Chon's passion and fearless approach to his storytelling are put on full display.
You may recognize Chon from the "Twilight Saga"films as Eric Yorkie. You may know him from his various YouTube videos and appearances. I knew him as a funny guy, and in "Gook"he certainly finds time to flex his comedic muscles.
But it's always with purpose, and that's what makes his latest film so impactful. You can feel the intent behind each scene. Every line, every shot, every moment Chon crafts is deliberate and delivers.
It's funny. It's heartbreaking.
It's dramatic. It's heavy.
It's beautifully shot. It's well paced.
And it tells a story that often goes untold from a perspective that isn't often seen. It premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival and has now made its way to Netflix. I highly recommend it.
It's probably the best film you haven't heard of.
