Matthew Kang

I was floored. I was at first concerned whether Soo Hugh would be able to adapt Min Jin Lee's novel for the screen, given that the source material was crafted with Western narrative tools. In my mind it could only be overhauled using the actual languages--there just couldn't be any other way. Both of these storytellers, each deft in their respective areas, leaned into their strengths (Min Jin's research and fieldwork, Soo's cinematic noonchi), while tempered by the magnitude of their responsibility.