Spa Night

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Spa Night
Spa Night Poster.jpg
Film poster
Directed by Andrew Ahn
Written byAndrew Ahn
Produced byDavid Ariniello
Giulia Caruso
Ki Jin Kim
Kelly Thomas
Starring Joe Seo
CinematographyKi Jin Kim
Edited byYannis Chalkiadakis
Production
companies
Nonetheless Productions
Extraordinary Renditions
Distributed by Strand Releasing
Release dates
  • January 24, 2016 (2016-01-24)(Sundance)
  • August 19, 2016 (2016-08-19)(United States)
Running time
93 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguagesEnglish
Korean
Spanish

Spa Night is a 2016 American drama film directed by Andrew Ahn and starring Joe Seo. [1] It was shown in the U.S. Dramatic Competition section at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. [2] At Sundance, Joe Seo won the Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Performance. [3]

Contents

Plot

David, an 18-year-old living in Koreatown, Los Angeles becomes 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

Reception

Critical response

On review aggregator website Rotten 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 Night explores the tension between tradition and individuality with tenderness and compassion." [4] On Metacritic the film has a score of 76 out of 100 score, based on 13 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [5]

Accolades

AwardDateCategoryRecipient(s)ResultRef.
Boston LGBT Film FestivalMarch 31–April 10, 2016Jury Prize for Best Narrative FeatureAndrew AhnWon [6]
[7]
Florida Film Critics Circle Awards December 23, 2016 Best First FilmSpa NightNominated [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 ThomasWon [11]
[12]
Someone to Watch AwardAndrew AhnNominated
Inside Out Toronto LGBT Film Festival May 26–June 5, 2016Best First FeatureWon [13]
[14]
Nashville Film Festival April 14–23, 2016New Directors CompetitionNominated [15]
[16]
[17]
Outfest Los Angeles July 7–17, 2016Grand Jury Award for Outstanding PerformanceJoe SeoWon [18]
Philadelphia Film Festival October 20–30, 2016Best First FeatureAndrew AhnNominated [19]
[20]
San Diego Asian Film Festival November 3–12, 2016George C. Lin Emerging Filmmaker AwardWon [21]
Sundance Film Festival January 21–31, 2016 Special Jury Award for Breakthrough PerformanceJoe SeoWon [3]
[2]
Grand Jury Prize DramaticAndrew AhnNominated

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References

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