Korean Highschool Documentary
August 5, 2011 in BLOGS, Christian Hermida by Christian Hermida
Anyong Haseyo! Kamasahamnida! Sadly, that is my best Korean (speaking wise). However I can actually sing in romanized Korean (more on that later).
Obviously I wouldn’t last a day in Korean high school.
Early this morning around 2am, I was doing the routine “read random facebook posts at 2am” when I came across one of the best post I’ve seen from my “friends”.
I came across an astonishing documentary directed by a 19-year-old girl named Kelley Katzenmeyer. Kelley already has an impressive resume at such a young age which includes winning the 2010 YoungArts Gold Award in Cinema and being nominated as a Presidential Scholar in the Arts. She was inspired to learn about Korean high school when her best friend (a South Korean and graduate of Korean high school) told her about their 16 hour study sessions and the pressure of success in Korea.
You can read more about her story by visiting the Korean High School Documentary website.
Upon watching the 20 minute preview of the film, I was inspired and touched. The film depicts every day Korean students and their battles with academics. It makes me feel as an American, that school isn’t as hard as I thought it was. It makes you feel, that perhaps our academic system is vastly unique and easier than most countries. In another aspect, the film shows the world about the stresses of Korean life but also highlights the beauty of the society as a whole. Students are interviewed throughout the film and are asked simple questions about daily life, stress, hobbies, etc. Additionally, one student sadly admits that her close friend committed suicide as a result of the pressure to succeed in school. In another scene, students discuss how American beauty affects Korean girls and their perception of beauty in order to succeed in the modern world.
The drastic and raw emotions conveyed by this documentary are ones that cannot be experienced through any other medium. The raw integrity of candid interviews and brilliant storytelling make for a compelling film. Please take a moment and preview the film for yourself:
Korean High School (Documentary Preview) from Kelley Katzenmeyer on Vimeo.
One Comment
And I thought my school was pressured. D: It’s 75% Asian and we’re always competing with how many AP classes we’re in, how many clubs we’re in, what afterschool activities we are in, and how many hours we volunteer. Most of the time I spend with my friends, we always talk about test scores and grades. There’s that pressure not to disappoint our parents. We feel like a losers for getting a B in an honors class. We end up hating ourselves and feeling disappointed in ourselves. All of my friends (including myself) have gone through some sort of depression period because of academics. We just try our best to keep it to ourselves.
And beauty is a huge deal among Asians. Among brown Asians, they bleach their skin to get fairer skin. My cousins pressure me to bleach my skin too. If you haven’t noticed, all the actors/actresses in Bollywood movies have lighter skin than average Indians. The media is what influences the way people think and their ideal of beauty.
An overweight group called Piggy Dolls tried to debut in Korea. They went with this group name and the concept that even overweight people can succeed in the entertainment business if they have talent. However because people weren’t very accepting of their image, the company decided to change the group’s concept and told the idols to lose weight if they wanted to stay in the entertainment business.