A Family Guide to Hunting

By: Kelly Kearney

After an accident on a hunting excursion leaves Eva and her uptight Korean family in a panic, tensions build as they must work through their dysfunction to find a way out of a surprisingly gory mess. Full of dark laughs and a death that should have you cringing, A Family Guide to Hunting wrestles with Asian family dynamics, parental expectations and female empowerment, which is sure to keep you laughing and screaming for the short film’s runtime.

A Hunting Trip Gone Wrong

After a blood-soaked opening that hints at where this story might end, we flashback to a family walking through the woods. The dynamics are set from the start when we meet mother June (Margaret Cho) and father Sam (Keong Sim), hiking through the woods while complaining about their daughters’ new white hippie boyfriend, Peter (Craig Newman). The recent college graduate, Eva (Kahyun Kim), planned this hunting trip as a way for her parents to get to know the survivalist prepper she fell in love with. June couldn’t be less excited about the outing – both with the woodsy walk and the man influencing their daughter with his Libertarian beliefs. She thinks Eva has lost her mind, but Sam, who is the calmer of the two parents, doesn’t agree. He likes Peter; “he’s polite and loves the outdoors.” The arguing parents are one of the reasons why the young couple wanders off for some alone time. Peter is convinced June hates him, and he isn’t wrong, but Eva puts his mind at ease with a promise that her mother hates everyone — her father included. Putting her annoying parents aside for a moment, Eva turns the conversation towards her first hunt. A very proud Peter walks her through the proper way to prepare her kill and we see exactly why June was concerned – this guy might love her daughter, but he is also a bit paranoid and influences Eva with his doomsday beliefs. Taking advantage of their alone time, the conversation turns blood-lusty, resulting in a shocking moment that should have viewers howling in horror. After the family’s initial panic is replaced with worries about what this all means for Eva and her future, tensions and long-buried secrets about the family’s journey to America are unearthed in an epic final throwdown between mother and daughter. But if June was worried before about Peter’s influence, her mind can rest easy after Eva puts the man’s teachings to good use. With an understanding of her family’s past and how their present will destroy their future, Eva makes the hard choice to save them all from the fallout of her mistake.

Getting Asian-American Family Dynamics Right

Directed by Beijing-born Mississippi dweller Zao Wang, A Family Guide to Hunting follows the trends of his earlier works by sticking to the thriller/horror genre, only this time he adds in a heavy dose of laughs. Injecting his perspective on the immigrant experience through this family’s story, Wang manages to elevate traditional Asian American culture that should be recognizable to anyone familiar with those dynamics. With a heavy dose of shock and horror that helps set the mood for Eva’s great awakening, Keong delivers a layered performance that will leave you wanting more of her story. Her reaction to what goes down (or, for lack of a better hint who goes down) shows the actress’s ability to bounce between comedy, drama and the horror genres with ease. The quad of talent on screen is entertaining, but it’s comedian and producer Margaret Cho who drives this story. She steps away from her usual Queer-brand of comedy to dig deeper into the darker side of humor. As June, the disappointed Korean mother, her portrayal is not only realistic but is also the perfect fire for husband Sam’s chill. He is the open-mindedness we see in the rebellious side of Eva, and along with Kahyun’s easy-going delivery, the duo gives the viewer a glimpse into the couple outside of this hunting trip. As strict as June is, the dichotomy between her personality and Sam’s speaks to the strong-willed daughter they raised and why she would skirt tradition to fall for a guy like Peter. She is every bit of June — the pragmatic problem solver — but she also inherited Sam’s deep dedication to remaining calm in the middle of insanity. We see this play out when she is forced to make a choice between her loyalty to Peter and her loyalty to the people who have worked tirelessly to give her a good life—something that hangs in the balance at the end of the short. The performances of Cho, Kim and Sim all add a sense of history to this family thanks to the comfort with which they appear on screen. Only a family that has survived a lifetime of challenges could handle what happens in those woods. Cho and Sim help to paint a picture of Asian-American parents battling western freedoms infiltrating their homes. Dating a white boy seems like an affront to their Korean culture and director Wang highlights those disappointments in a realistic but never too serious way. That’s the genius of this short–serious issues are always bubbling beneath the surface, but the action and visuals are so over-the-top that they replace the weight with a levity that only a gory comedy can do.

Give it a shot.

Avoiding any spoilers, the life-changing moment in this short is the scene that is the most captivating to watch. Peter is Eva’s stepping stone towards embracing her true Asian-American upbringing, and his purpose—while confusing to June at first—becomes clear when the young woman needs his support to finish what she started. We are all products of our combined experiences as well as our genetics, and Peter came into Eva’s life at the perfect crossroads between the recklessness of youth and the responsibilities of adulthood.

A Family Guide to Hunting is a gory-good laugh that will have you crossing your legs in horror and probably grabbing your phone to catch up with your mom. If diverse and inclusive storytelling seasoned with Asian-American spicy laughs is your kind of watch, give this short a shot, but don’t forget to turn the safety on before you blast off on this mind-blowing good time.