Directed by Andrew Ahn
A young Korean-American man works to reconcile his obligations to his struggling immigrant family with his burgeoning sexual desires in the underground world of gay hookups at Korean spas in Los Angeles.
Ночь в cпа, 스파 나잇, 桑拿夜, 那一夜，我在三溫暖, 那一夜，我在三温暖
USA Sundance Film Festival USANR 
South Korea18 South Korea USA 
This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.
Sure he’s grappling with his sexuality and all that but you really know this kid is confused when he slips cash into his mom’s purse.
A collection of real time thoughts:
~ Saunas look so oppressive, I can feel the steam through the screen.
~ This is not a family tradition I would be in to.
~ So Korean spas are like, a thing? #obliviousbrit
~ Repressed sexuality in da house.
~ We all love a selfie in front of the mirror.
~ He loves his abs.
~ Family business is going under fo' sho'.
~ I don't think I've ever eaten Korean food. Must rectify.
~ Classic son listening to parents arguing through the wall scene.
~ David is the king of small grunt exercises.
~ I just saw a penis.
~ Korean church looks hella reserved.
~ I would go to Church all…
I loved this way too much. I can't explain why, but it really just had me shook in the most subtle and heartbreaking ways. The exploration of identity and the pressure of being a child of an immigrant family quietly devastated me and I really resonated with this. It provides an unrepresented voice in film with a truly captivating portrait of sadness and intimacy. Unfortunately I hadn't heard much about this upon release but I hope that now since it is on Netflix that more people watch this. It has a very unique voice though, which is what I love about it, but I can understand why many will not give it a chance or connect with it. It's super gay, and unapologetically so. This is the debut of writer/director Andrew Ahn and he shows great promise and I can't wait to see what he does next.
This is a portrait of a high school senior dealing with the stresses of not only pleasing his parents, but also the guilt of being a financial burden. David is beautifully played by Joe Seo (Cobra Kai). He's the first-generation American son of Korean parents. They want the best for him but the pressure is suffocating. Seo is excellent at conveying unrelieved torment and stress.
Classism is ever present as David's parents go through economic hardships. On top of the aforementioned struggles, David is also attracted to men. Plus he's the only child. So much pressure. He finds some release at a spa he gets a job at.
Director Andrew Ahn (Fire Island) does an excellent job bringing David's daily…
This was so depressing, I just wanna give the protagonist a really big hug (+ a kiss bc he cute af).
Slow, creeping pans over bodies. Showering, touching, being gazed upon. Bodies portrayed as beautifully as Greek marble statues. Andrew Ahn’s debut conveys a well refined sensuality when it comes to desire.
An intimate exploration of one man’s sexual awakening, intertwined with familial disintegration. A poetic metaphor for the dismantling of one’s former self for someone greater, someone more true to themself. And yet the loyalty to ones family, especially within an immigrant household anchors our protagonist down, resulting in anguish and inner conflict.
Fascinating and vulnerable. The perfect start to my 50 films ABOUT the LGBTQ+ community, made BY the LGBTQ+ community list, in which I seek out new (to me) watches from queer filmmakers that are focused on the queer experience.
Great, if somewhat half-formed, and strong for a debut feature; textured, confident, but struggles from not being able to pick a plot in its second half. Still, more of this please.
"I'm sorry... It's just too much!" - Jin Cho (the dad),
- Asian American Male Protagonists: boxd.it/1AWEg
- Scavenger Hunt #50 (May 2019): boxd.it/2RxoK
Task 24: "Watch a film with a queer director" (3/31 complete)
More people should see this wonderful dramatic film.
Spa Night is the slice of life coming of age story of David, a Korean-American teenager born the only child to struggling first generation parents. Over the duration of the film, David deals with the pressures of poverty, unrealistic expectations from parents that believe in him, the consistent isolation of living in immigrant communities, and his burgeoning gay desires.
The film moves at a snail's pace which is effective because so much of Spa Night is about…
ASMR
Asian
Seeking
Man to
Ride
What are you looking at?
Ahn's tale of sexual awakening is a story told in glances, shifts, and sighs. Like Haynes' impeccable melodrama, Carol, Spa Night uses the setting's sexual repression to keep the emotions covert and unspoken. Furtive glances are shot at spa attendants probingly. The spa, awash in cool neon blue, dampens the steamy emotions that float above the patrons. And, it is in this otherworldly atmosphere that David appears his most comfortable - even if there is, initially, hesitation.
And, for the most part, Ahn's remarkable restraint pays off. The performances all around are spectacular. However, the script can't quite measure up. Though the tale is appropriately subdued, the dialogue feels stilted in scenes. Certain characters say…
Dad, I can't breathe.
Kind of shocked I hadn't heard of this film before until seeing it be randomly recommended on my Twitter feed a couple days ago. A super solid movie with strong direction, cinematography, and a great lead performance from Joe Seo. I can't remember if I've brought them up by name before, but Strand Releasing is sneakily one of the best indie film distributors working right now. I'm mainly thinking about how many films of theirs I've seen that are related to queerness, and how often films from them with that topic don't shy away from more explicit sexuality when most other works still are a bit timid with it. Spa Night succeeds as a film not…
I like that this doesn't feel the need to overtly explain how David feels about his sexuality. It's not clear to us, because it's not clear to him. There is grace in its ambiguity – self realisation isn't a linear path. Joe Seo is really good in this – his gazes convey so much more than just desire. The pacing is great and restrained, we spend enough time with David and his family to feel like you want to reach through the screen and hug them all, without it feeling like forced exposition. Very great debut!
(Also accurately depicts the feeling of when ur in a group of straight people and they do anything that remotely resembles gay shit and u go from bored out of ur mind to like ... ay up what's all this then ??)
(Also the "what are you looking at" scene OOOOOHHHH BOYYYYYY... the anxiety)
