Tag Archives: The Debut

Hello Pinoys

debutThe Debut was a very great film. It’s just how I want to see Asians portrayed in the media, to be honest – like everyone else.

OK, sure there’s several things that are unique to Asians and Filipinos – FOBs, overbearing fathers, titas that are larger than life, getting called a dog eater, and so on. However, you scratch out those parts, and you have a pretty classic teenager movie, a movie that anyone could relate to regardless of color.

 

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.

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.

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~