Also, for a film centered on food, Made in Korea commits the cardinal sin of not making these visuals enticing. The idea of this cross-cultural exchange doesn’t wow us, and even the makers seem more interested in ticking that box than in making it a big hurrah. While this might not seem like a big dealbreaker, it very much is in the context of the film. But this doesn’t mean that all is not well with Made in Korea. There are scenes where its saccharine nature sings through. Say, for instance, the scene when Shenba realises the grandma’s secret, or the scene where she loses her composure against a Korean guy who assaults his girlfriend. In fact, Priyanka is quite good at bringing out Shenba’s goofy side. When Shenba lets her hair down and has fun, the film finds its voice. This same voice gets drowned out in scenes that ring high on sentimentality or an overarching sense of genericity. That isn’t Priyanka or the film’s strong suit. These sections feel vacuous because the writing doesn’t do enough to make us feel invested in Shenba’s life.
In fact, Made in Korea had the ingredients to become a Disney-esque fairytale, but the film settles for far less. However, even in a Disney film where we all know good trumps evil, and all is well that ends well, there needs to be moments where things aren’t quite well. We need to throw our weight behind the protagonist and hope she finds the peace she is looking for. But the writing and performances never really convince us that she is indeed looking for peace. What does Shenba really want? If it is a life in Korea, why not show how she struggles to bridge the chasm between reality and imagination? If it is finding an identity, why not show her exploring her desires a bit more? What we are left with is a bland journey into a character that actually has it easy, but thinks otherwise.
Being overly nice and playing it safe is not an admirable trait in a person, and it certainly cannot be a qualifier for a film. The Korean characters in Shenba’s world get a raw deal because they are supremely one-note, and all they have to be is… nice. The Indian characters in her world get a raw deal because they are also one-note, since they have to be… not-so-nice. What about Shenba, you ask? Well, Shenba wishes to be a symphony that hits all the right notes and marches ahead on her quest to find her voice in a world that isn’t as bad as she believes it is. Unfortunately, throughout Made in Koreaall we hear is one note… and sometimes, even that one note is off-key.
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