The Debut
The Debut it about a young man that has a hard time coming to terms with his culture.
This movie stresses male roles. The grandfather doesn’t like how his son (Ben’s father) raised Ben because Ben doesn’t know how to speak Tagalog and how to properly great his elders. Ben’s grandpa has a hard time coming to terms with the choices that Ben’s father made with his singing career. Not only does Ben’s grandfather have a hard time with his sons choices but you see Ben’s father having a hard time with Ben’s choices about going to art school instead of becoming a doctor by taking a scholarship to UCLA. Ben starts to understand that his father only wants the best for him because he had to give up his dreams to become a singer to raise his children and move to the United States.
Culture. What does it mean to be Filipino in America? What does it mean when you start hanging around different cultures when you should be hanging around your own kind? Does it really mean becoming a coconut when you start hanging out with different people? People think that because you are a certain race you should hangout with that race. I have been able to relate to Ben because I am mixed it was hard in high school to know and understand what group I really belonged to. I had a hard time understanding what race I would like to identify with white, or black? Ben was having a hard time knowing that he was brown but wanting to be accepted into the world with his white friends. Ben was able to see that his family was always going to be apart of him and that he had to find the friends (which he had) that meant enough to him to be apart of his family and not judge him for being something different other then white.
The Debut
When the movie started, it was clear that Ben seemed to be ashamed of his family and his home. His friends poke a bit of lighthearted and harmless fun, but are very accepting and even eager to enjoy the festivities and cultural events. They chow down on full plates of food and sit entranced as the dancers dance.
Sheldon’s party ended up being a major turning point for Ben. When faced with the blatant racism from the girl at the party, he has this realization that I interpreted as him finally figuring out that as white as he feels on the inside, he will never be white. He’ll always be Filipino. He goes back to his sister’s debut and rejoining the family. However, he ends up taking out all the hurt and rage out Gusto. Since Gusto is trying to tell Ben that he’s the opposite. He taunts Ben by calling him a white boy and saying that he’s not brown. I felt that Ben’s turmoil over not being white and not feeling brown, is resolved with his painting of himself, his father, and his grandfather laid over the flag.
I think that the best part of the film was when one of the characters, Ed I think, was trying to open the minds of those around him. When he slams the two crazed car enthusiasts with a quick lesson in Philippine history, he really makes and impact on those who hear him.
The parallels between Ben and his father and Ben’s father and grandfather were interesting. I think that for Ben’s father the anger and disappointment from the beginning of the movie that was targeted towards Ben was melted away by his own fight with his father. He is an artist who wanted to go his own way, but his father disapproved and ultimately the band failed. Since he would want better for his son, he tried to push him towards a better chance and away from his dream.
The Debut
Connections…….
This is the definitely the word of 2014, in my life anyways. (Thanks to Chico :])So let’s talk about connections.
This movie was a great illustration of the generational gap between the kids who were born in America, their parents, and their grandparents who didn’t move to America. Much like the experience of the Nisei, Ben was caught up in trying to find his true identity and where he belongs in life. On one hand, he grew up in America and was very much a part of that culture. On the other hand, his family showed him the roots of his Filipino/a culture. This difference alone is enough to create tensions between the children and their parents. While the parents try to help instill their culture and beliefs in their children, the children are trying to fit in around their peers at school.
The scene where Ben left his sister’s party and went to the party that his friends invited him to brought another connection to light. A girl at the party started making racist jokes towards Ben and finally used a racial slur when he accidentally spilled her drink. This showed Ben that he would have difficulties fitting in even though he grew up in America. Ben also talked about when he was a kid and he tried to make his nose pointier to look more like a white person. These struggles were very similar to those of the Nisei growing up in a hostile America.
He also didn’t get along well with his grandpa who came to the party from the Philippines. Much like the Nisei felt like their home was in America, Ben could not relate with his grandpa. This made me think about the experience of the Nisei when they received the news about E.O. 9066. They had never been to Japan and those who did visit Japan did not feel at home there either.
All of this manifested the image of a cairn in my head. A cairn is a pile (or stack) of stones made by a human. One stone may be light, but many stones will become very heavy. And while the stones weigh down on each other, they have to be balanced or the cairn will teeter on the edge of breaking down. Thus was Ben’s situation, but he managed to keep his balance.
The Debut
de·but dāˈbyo͞o/ noun: 1. a person’s first appearance or performance in a particular capacity or role.
Overall, I feel the film captured a lot of the Filipino/a cultural traditions and instances. At the beginning of the film Ben brings his 
white friends over and he is embarrassed by the smell in the house, but his friends find the smell appealing. Also, when his friends come into the kitchen, the mother introduces herself and offers them a bite to eat, which I can vouch that that moment was a typical Filipino/a thing to do. The over-sized fork and spoon on the wall is something I have seen in majority of Filipino/a households. At the debut the dances, the costumes, and food all looked realistic in a sense that there were real Filipino/a actors/actresses that actually created this atmosphere. In addition to these things, I thought that it was very funny as well that there was a couple talking about how there are many “Oriental” races who are nurses now and the white husband of the aunt corrected them and said they were supposed to say “Asians.” First, I think it’s funny because I know many Filipino/a friends and family who want each other to strive in the medical field; secondly, how the Filipina wife glared at him and continued to say “Oriental” as if she was entitled to say Oriental because she was one. Anyhow, the director and cast did a very good job on portraying the Filipino/a lifestyle and struggles.
white friends over and he is embarrassed by the smell in the house, but his friends find the smell appealing. Also, when his friends come into the kitchen, the mother introduces herself and offers them a bite to eat, which I can vouch that that moment was a typical Filipino/a thing to do. The over-sized fork and spoon on the wall is something I have seen in majority of Filipino/a households. At the debut the dances, the costumes, and food all looked realistic in a sense that there were real Filipino/a actors/actresses that actually created this atmosphere. In addition to these things, I thought that it was very funny as well that there was a couple talking about how there are many “Oriental” races who are nurses now and the white husband of the aunt corrected them and said they were supposed to say “Asians.” First, I think it’s funny because I know many Filipino/a friends and family who want each other to strive in the medical field; secondly, how the Filipina wife glared at him and continued to say “Oriental” as if she was entitled to say Oriental because she was one. Anyhow, the director and cast did a very good job on portraying the Filipino/a lifestyle and struggles.After watching the problems go on during this film, I realized that most of these conflicts essentially have the same theme: pride. I think first, I’ll just list off the conflicts and problems. First there is the conflict between Rose and Ben and his desire to be white. Second is the tension between Ben and his father and becoming a doctor. There are also a few little conflicts that do not include the main characters such as his Aunt and Gusto as well, the two cousins fight at the end, and Lolo’s argument with Ben’s father and Ben’s uncle Lenny. Those are quite a few things, but I think they all contribute to this theme of pride of being who you are.
At the beginning of Rose’s debut Ben Rose tells Ben that he wishes to be white and he just questions her, “So?” then she comes back with a line, “You’re just as brown as the rest of us.” I thought that line was very powerful in a way to remind him that he can try to be as white as he wants to, but skin color cannot change and he cannot change who he is. Then at the end of the movie Ben returns to his sisters’ debut and realizes that his culture is actually something to be proud of. In addition to that, his white friends are enjoying his Filipino party and food! It took a very mean racial slur from one of his “white” friends’ party to realize that he is will never be white and his friends’ approval of the Filipino party to take pride in his own culture. There was also a conflict between Ben and his father. Ben’s father wants him to become a doctor and Ben resisting because he wants to pursue a future in the arts which causes conflict and tension between them. Ben’s father tries to impress Lolo by telling him that Ben is the way to becoming a doctor, this creates a pride “bubble” of protection for Ben’s father. Ben’s father knows that Lolo (his father) would take great pride knowing that his grandson will be successful in the medical sphere.
Then there is the Aunt and Gusto. After Ben’s father breaks up Ben and Gusto’s fight, he finds a gun on Gusto and shows it to his mother. His mother is in complete denial, but accepts it and starts slapping Gusto. I feel that she was slapping him because she wanted to believe that he was a good son, but also because of how embarrassing it is to have a gang-banger son. Gusto, who was also filled with pride being in his little friendship gang then loses all of his pride in front of everyone by taking the slaps by his mother and hanging his head low. Lastly, the scene where Lolo is yelling at Ben’s dad about how embarrassed he is about having his son (Ben’s dad) invite those kinds of people to a party. He then rants on about how he cannot even afford a nice Debut party for Rose, which is not prideful. Lastly, the two cousins at the end get into a little petty fight about one calling the other a “Fob” which usually stands for fresh off the boat. The first cousin basically pushes the second cousin around, like hitting him, calling him names, typically bully behavior. So what starts off the fight is the first cousin makes fun of the other by calling him a “Fob” and making of how he still has an accent, but when Gusto and Ben were fighting, they were calling Ben a coconut (brown on the outside and white on the inside). I thought it was ironic that the first cousin made fun of Ben for not being like a “real” Filipino, but then makes fun of his cousin for being “too Filipino.” Anyways, the second cousin ends up hitting the first cousin and I do not think that the second cousin gets mad at just the slurs, but because he had pride in who he was. The second cousin knew he was not a “Fob” and took pride in himself to stand up against his cousin.
These conflicts all eventually get resolved, like Ben accepts that he his Filipino and finally okay and proud with it. Ben confesses to his father that he paid his own way to his first years tuition to CalArts with all his money and his father realizes that his son does have talent in this field. Gusto gets stripped of his pride and even though Lolo chewed Ben’s father out, Ben seems to be proud of his father for giving so much up after he was born.
In addition to the theme of pride, I also found some historical connections.
There was a part in the film where Lolo was upset that Ben did not know Tagalog. I think that this is reminiscent to the Filipino
Green, Red, or Blue. Which one are you? Choose one.
immigrants. It’s like even though they live in America that does not mean that their culture should be forgotten. So I feel that Ben’s grandfather is part of the immigrant population that want to preserve their culture in the U.S. Ben’s parents, I think, portray those who consider themselves as the Asian-American generation. They have adapted to living in America, abiding the laws, but still keeping their homeland traditions. Then I think Ben is generation that goes through an identity crisis. Ben knows he is Filipino, but resists that concept and acts white, as if he can easily change that. So, I feel that Ben represents the generation of immigrant’s children who do not or cannot identify themselves as one race or another. Overall, I think this film related very well back to Takaki and to the program and what we have studied so far.
Stereotypes, Masculinity, and (Mis)representation
I was immediately drawn to themes across movies. Both The Debut and Gran Torino feature main characters who are quiet, and studious young Asian American men. In the case of Gran Torino, we are presented with three archetypes of masculinity: Walt, white hypermasculinity, Spider who represents “gangster” masculinity, and Thao who is quiet, introverted, and is repeatedly seen doing domestic labor, or “women’s work” around the house. Walt attempts to indoctrinate Thao into hypermasculinity, taking him under his wing and teaching him how to “be a man”. He steps in to save Thao from his apparent emasculation by the Hmong women of his family. Thao resists gang violence by silently taking insults, while Walt actually escalates the cycle of violence by intervening with his hypermasculine code which requires retribution for insult. Thao’s stereotype of the geeky emasculated Asian man sits in sharp contrast to the Asian gangster role played by his cousin, Spider. In The Debut this gangster/cousin role is played by Augusto, who acts as a foil to Ben. Unlike Gran Torino, in The Debut there is no white savior. In the face-off with the gangster cousin, there is no Walt to save him, instead Ben’s family supports him and Augusto is publicly shamed for bringing a gun to the party.
I’m noticing that there is a consistent theme of emasculation, and navigating masculinity across Better Luck Tomorrow, Gran Torino, and The Debut. Perhaps this is due to these films being coming of age stories about young men. Adolescence is the time when young people begin to confront the adult masculine roles they are expected to fill, and I suspect there is another layer of complexity when race comes into play, especially given the way that Asian men are often seen as emasculated parodies of white hypermasculinity.
The Debut Film
This film was really interesting because it showed the home life of a Filipino American family and how their Filipino culture affected their son named Ben. For example, Ben feels embarrassed about his Filipino culture. When Ben comes home with his two white friends, one of the friends has to use the bathroom. Ben comes up with excuse after excuse about why they cannot come inside. Finally they do go inside and are somewhat taken aback to the household’s Filipino decorations. Ben is even further embarrassed when his family warmly asks his friends to stay and try the food. Clearly Ben cares very much about how other people view him. It’s not until Augusto tells Ben that he’s a sellout does it finally click for Ben that he’s been acting distant/rude towards his family. Another turning point for Ben is when a girl at a party taunts him with racist slurs.
I think that the idea of a young adult/teenager being embarrassed or ashamed of their background, whether it’s to do with culture, race, generational differences, or class, is quite common. Last quarter we learned of how the Nisei felt embarrassed about their Japanese heritage. And it wasn’t usually until later in life did they become proud of their parents culture. Going off of that, it’s my opinion that class can also make a person feel embarrassed or ashamed. Like if someone comes from a lower-income background but attends a prestigious school there probably is going to be some shame or embarrassment down the line. Basically this film helped exemplify the connections to be made between class, race, gender, generational differences, and culture.
The Debut
This 2005 drama was good. This is a more interesting film that we’ve seen this quarter. I had no idea about these stereotypes of Filipino that get compared to Chinese where the main character got called a chink meaning Chinese and he’s not even of the race. I hate when people just judge off appearance and not ask like a adult would do, but they make it a joking question game. Just insulting and even though this was just a movie, I know people out there that act just like that. Its a shame of how many don’t know how these phrases have a effect. Words are life and words have a strong message in what context their used in. Where Ruben got called a coconut by Augusto and I’m just like so just because you want something better for your life that makes you a sellout. I can speak where Ruben is coming from in this movie. I’m African American and Native American, but just because I didn’t want to start my career at a casino or work for my Tribal Administration that makes me a sellout, so many people during high school told me you have a for sure ride because you can get a job and be set for life. Everyone said your mom is big in your tribes casino and you should allow in her footsteps to make her and the tribe proud. No sir. My parents told me to be whatever you want to be no matter what anyone says. I may be first generation to go college, but I wanted to go to do what I want to do. That scene where Ruben confessed to his father that he got accepted into a school for something he loves to do. That’s the attitude I have here. I also like the family traditions that we upheld from their culture even from moving over from Philippines holding onto that culture. The coming of age factor party even with cultural aspects and I love that they kept that traditions in there. I also love that one of the characters mentioned the Filipino war and how we fought by their side against a higher anarchy. THANKS for addressing that. I wish I would have watched this movie earlier in my life so I would know more about other people cultures history and not just my own.
Movie impressions: The Debut
Its tough being an artist.
Some people are lucky enough to make a living expressing themselves through art. Most of us however, are less fortunate; maybe life gets in the way of your art, and like Ben’s father you submit to the expectations of your parents and become a doctor. But that fire still burns inside the artist and every once in a while it boils over and comes out no matter how much you try to suppress it. Ben’s father steps on stage with his old bandmates to sing at his teenage daughters birthday party.
In his book Zen Guitar, Philip Sudo writes; “At bottom, it is the sound of the divine spark within us all… if the sound within you is strong, it will find a way to come out.” Ben is an artist. His is expressed through drawings. But his father, as his father before, wants Ben to become a doctor. Everything is set for Ben; theres a UCLA scholarship (thank God it wasn’t USC–) and a family member’s practice has an internship spot waiting for him. Unlike his father however, Ben sticks with his passion to draw and sells everything to pay for his first quarter at CalArts.
Still though, being an artist is tough.
This friction between Ben and his father is going on for years– after all, the man just wants whats best for his son– right?! This idea is confronted by father and son after the birthday party. Long story short, Ben’s grandfather confronts his son– Ben’s dad– about his hobby with the band. Knowing the pain of suppressing that artistic fire within, Ben’s father accepts the fact Ben is dedicated to following his hobby– his dream– his talent.
The movie ends before Ben enters CalArts. It doesn’t tell us what his father does with his divine spark… does he return to singing with a band? My hope is that he is so inspired by his son’s determination to follow his art, that dad gets the band back together. After all, it is NEVER too late to let it out.
What about the grandfather? What form of expression has he suppressed in his many years? We will never know. We can however, learn from the lesson of “The Debut.” What is the sound within you? Is there a talent you have suppressed? In case you didn’t know, the “critical periods” theory that says if you didn’t learn a language as a child you never can as an adult has been disproved by neuroscientists time and time again. Don’t let anyone tell you its too late. Follow Ben’s example and chase your dreams.
Being an artist is tough.
But few things are equally rewarding~
The Debut: Cultural Identity and Family Values
The white guys in this film had a few cringe moments but one of Ben’s cousins with the long car speech gave a feeling of “Really…?” Beyond that it was evident that racial pride was a powerful emotion for the minority groups depicted. There was somehow a problem with Ben not hanging around any other brown skinned friends but instead white friends.
This movie gave a similar vibe to Gran Torino in the sense of a “good family” vs “bad family” category. Yet in this sense the good side had extremely high hopes for Ben to be a doctor vs Gran Torino which his family just wanted Touh to be content. Both bad sides of the family related to guns, violence and gang activity. In the end though the entirety of both families in each movie seemed to show a deep care for their family’s well being (disregarding the rape and house shootout in Gran Torino). To expand Ben’s cousins still had a priority in the cultural dance and supporting Rose’s birthday. While in Gran Torino Touh was getting picked on by the Mexican thugs and had his cousins come rescue him.
There was a lot of lines throughout the movie the reminded me of the nonchalant racism that occurs when any ethnic group has some communication. From the long car speech to the “nigga” that gave Gusto the handgun but there were no blacks depicted in the film the derogatory word usage throughout the film was there. Though it seemed every group had some stereotype on the other groups, the worst being the dumb drunk girl at the party calling Ben a “chink” when he is Filipino and accusing him of eating dogs and cats.
Food really stuck out to me in this film, as well as a recurring iconic cultural representation of the minority groups in America. In Gran Torino the Hmung gave Walt an abundance of delicious distinctive food as a thank you gift for protecting them. Then in The Debut there was a excessive amount of food, with eating being a common “go-to” such as when the grandpa pointing out that Ben’s father gained weight or his mother insisting that Ben’s friends need to eat more since they’re so skinny.
There was an appreciation of the Filipino traditional culture but of course as second generation Americans they are quick to adopt new culture such as basketball, car culture and the clothing. The grandpa seemed very traditional and cared deeply for his family’s pride and legacy though he was understanding when Ben didn’t participate with the small prayer on the grandpa’s arrival.
Throughout multiple minority groups it always seems the core foundation of cultural identity that retains in the food, celebrations and family values. Other things such as transportation, everyday clothing or hobbies are molded into each generation that is relevant only in that time. Not so much as fad but a less permanent popular culture.
I enjoyed the film and had a slight relation to Ben and his “hobby” with my own dedications when I was in high school. Though I have never dealt with any of the cultural minority pressures that were put on Ben to be a doctor. The model minority identity felt very real in this film as it has in other films such as Better Luck Tomorrow.