Spa Night
Spa Night | |
---|---|
![]() Film poster | |
Directed by | Andrew Ahn |
Written by | Andrew Ahn |
Produced by | David Ariniello Giulia Caruso Ki Jin Kim Kelly Thomas |
Starring | Joe Seo |
Cinematography | Ki Jin Kim |
Edited by | Yannis Chalkiadakis |
Production companies | Nonetheless Productions Extraordinary Renditions |
Distributed by | Strand Releasing |
Release dates |
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Running time | 93 minutes |
Country | United States |
Languages | English Korean Spanish |
Spa Nightis a 2016 Americandrama filmdirected byAndrew Ahnand starringJoe Seo.[1]It was shown in the U.S. Dramatic Competition section at the2016 Sundance Film Festival.[2]At Sundance, Joe Seo won the Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Performance.[3]
Plot
[edit]David, an 18-year-old living inKoreatown, Los Angelesbecomes an employee at a spa to help his financially struggling parents. He soon discovers illicit gay sex between the customers, which forces him to consider his own sexuality.
While this has been described as a coming out story, the focus is on the internal world of David, and his deep struggles and uncertainty, as a teenager, about how to be a good son but how to also be himself in what is a conservative family and rigid community.
Cast
[edit]- Joe Seoas David
- Haerry Kim as Soyoung
- Youn Ho Cho as Jin
- Tae Song as Eddie
- Ho Young Chung as Spa Manager
- Linda Han as Mrs. Baek
- Eric Jeong as Peter
- Yong Kim as Academy Director
Reception
[edit]Critical response
[edit]Onreview aggregatorwebsiteRotten Tomatoes,the film has an approval rating of 96%, based on 25 reviews, with an average rating of 6.80/10.[4]The site’s critics consensus reads, "In depicting one man's sexual awakening,Spa Nightexplores the tension between tradition and individuality with tenderness and compassion. "[4]OnMetacriticthe film has a score of 76 out of 100 score, based on 13 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[5]
Accolades
[edit]Award | Date | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Boston LGBT Film Festival | March 31–April 10, 2016 | Jury Prize for Best Narrative Feature | Andrew Ahn | Won | [6] [7] |
Florida Film Critics Circle Awards | December 23, 2016 | Best First Film | Spa Night | Nominated | [8] [9] |
GLAAD Media Awards | May 6, 2017 | Outstanding Film - Limited Release | Nominated | [10] | |
Independent Spirit Awards | February 25, 2017 | John Cassavetes Award | Andrew Ahn, David Ariniello, Giulia Caruso, Ki Jin Kim, Kelly Thomas | Won | [11] [12] |
Someone to Watch Award | Andrew Ahn | Nominated | |||
Inside Out Toronto LGBT Film Festival | May 26–June 5, 2016 | Best First Feature | Won | [13] [14] | |
Nashville Film Festival | April 14–23, 2016 | New Directors Competition | Nominated | [15] [16] [17] | |
Outfest Los Angeles | July 7–17, 2016 | Grand Jury Award for Outstanding Performance | Joe Seo | Won | [18] |
Philadelphia Film Festival | October 20–30, 2016 | Best First Feature | Andrew Ahn | Nominated | [19] [20] |
San Diego Asian Film Festival | November 3–12, 2016 | George C. Lin Emerging Filmmaker Award | Won | [21] | |
Sundance Film Festival | January 21–31, 2016 | Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Performance | Joe Seo | Won | [3] [2] |
Grand Jury Prize Dramatic | Andrew Ahn | Nominated |
References
[edit]- ^"'Spa Night': Sundance Review ".Hollywood Reporter.January 26, 2016.RetrievedFebruary 16,2016.
- ^ab"Sundance Institute Announces Films In Competition and NEXT for 2016 Sundance Film Festival".Sundance Film Festival.December 2, 2015.Archivedfrom the original on September 25, 2023.RetrievedSeptember 25,2023.
- ^abChang, Justin (January 31, 2016)."Sundance:The Birth of a NationSweeps Top Prizes ".Variety.Archivedfrom the original on September 25, 2023.RetrievedSeptember 25,2023.
- ^ab"Spa Night (2016)".Rotten Tomatoes.RetrievedApril 27,2022.
- ^"Spa Night reviews".Metacritic.CBS Interactive.RetrievedJanuary 30,2016.
- ^"Spa Night".Taiwan International Queer Film Festival.Archivedfrom the original on September 25, 2023.RetrievedSeptember 25,2023.
- ^Nadeau, James (April 17, 2016)."2016 Jury Award Winners!".Boston LGBT Film Festival. Archived fromthe originalon May 20, 2016.RetrievedMay 20,2016.
- ^"'Moonlight' Leads 2016 Florida Film Critics Awards Nominations ".Florida Film Critics.December 20, 2016.Archivedfrom the original on September 25, 2023.RetrievedSeptember 25,2023.
- ^Morgenstern, Hans (December 23, 2016)."2016 Ffcc Award Winners".Florida Film Critics Circle.Archivedfrom the original on September 25, 2023.RetrievedSeptember 25,2023.
- ^Knapp, JD (May 6, 2017)."28th GLAAD Media Awards: Complete List of Winners".Variety.Archivedfrom the original on September 25, 2023.RetrievedSeptember 25,2023.
- ^Earl, William (February 25, 2017)."2017 Independent Spirit Awards: Full Winners List".IndieWire.Archivedfrom the original on September 25, 2023.RetrievedSeptember 25,2023.
- ^Gavieres, Jayna (February 25, 2017)."2017 Film Independent Spirit Awards Winners Announced!".Film Independent.Archivedfrom the original on September 25, 2023.RetrievedSeptember 25,2023.
- ^"Spa Night".Toronto International Film Festival.Archivedfrom the original on April 26, 2023.RetrievedApril 26,2023.
- ^"Festival Awards".Inside Out Toronto LGBT Film Festival.Archived fromthe originalon April 3, 2019.RetrievedApril 3,2019.
- ^"2016 Nashville Film Festival"(PDF).nashvillefilmfestival.org.Archived(PDF)from the original on September 25, 2023.RetrievedSeptember 25,2023.
- ^Robert, Mackenzie."Nashville Film Festival Announces Features in Competition".Nashville Film Festival. Archived fromthe originalon August 2, 2016.RetrievedAugust 2,2016.
- ^"2016 Feature Award Winners".Nashville Film Festival. April 22, 2016. Archived fromthe originalon June 24, 2016.RetrievedJune 24,2016.
- ^Kilday, Gregg (July 17, 2016)."Outfest Award Winners Revealed as Andrew Ahn's 'Spa Night' Takes Grand Jury Prize".The Hollywood Reporter.Archivedfrom the original on September 25, 2023.RetrievedSeptember 25,2023.
- ^Cummings, Sinead (October 5, 2016)."Check out the full lineup for the 25th Philadelphia Film Festival".Philly Voice.Archivedfrom the original on September 25, 2023.RetrievedSeptember 25,2023.
- ^"PFF25 Program Guide"(PDF).Philadelphia Film Festival.Archived(PDF)from the original on September 25, 2023.RetrievedSeptember 25,2023.
- ^"Festival Awards".Pac Arts.Archived fromthe originalon September 25, 2023.RetrievedSeptember 25,2023.
External links
[edit]- 2016 films
- 2016 drama films
- 2016 independent films
- American drama films
- Films about Korean Americans
- 2010s Korean-language films
- American LGBT-related films
- Films directed by Andrew Ahn
- 2010s LGBT-related drama films
- 2016 LGBT-related films
- 2016 directorial debut films
- Asian-American LGBT-related films
- 2010s English-language films
- 2010s American films
- John Cassavetes Award winners
- Sundance Film Festival award-winning films
- 2016 multilingual films
- American multilingual films
- Films set in Koreatown, Los Angeles