Film Lab Presents Hippo Times
- Episode aired Oct 30, 2020
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Terrific episode featuring some distinguished stories about life in quarantine By Shing Chung
This fall I started watching the 13th season of the TV series Film Lab Presents on Friday nights and the episodes have been a blast for me quarantining at home. The series showcases a variety of Asian American stories of contemporary drama, comedy, and everything in between. Lots of Asian American faces in these contents! The show is produced by the Film Lab, a non-profit that works to promote, support and create racial and gender parity in entertainment media.
Stella by team Hipopo is about a Chinese American girl who is struggling to find purpose in the midst of a pandemic. She wants to win a pageant competition of Miss Philippines to continue her already viral career on the internet. In the process of finding her beauty, however, she realizes that sometimes it is okay to simply be at peace with oneself and find self-love. In the film, Stella says, "Sometimes I feel like I should be constantly doing something. Like that's the only way I will be useful." That is a feeling the audience should feel all too familiar with, especially being quarantined at home for the past months. Since the pandemic hit, we have been forced to be okay with just being with ourselves. Stella manifested that shift in perspective.
Next Caller by Marlene Ginader is a thriller about the danger of online stalking. The story focuses on a female call center employee who is working at home due to the pandemic. But when the next caller comes in, she realizes that he is stalking her. The film is showing the risks of revealing oneself on the internet and catching the attention of the wrong people. The ending was quite suspenseful as we were left with an abrupt end to the story.
Never Alone by Team Living in the Meow is a touching film about a Thai American living alone as she goes through days worrying about not having an income and worse, becoming a failure. She made a paper figure of her grandfather and spent her days talking to him and making stop-animation videos to fulfill her aspiration of becoming a filmmaker. The audience gets to witness her slow descent into anxiety and depression. It is a personal story that many are familiar with. Especially in this time of struggle.
Stella by team Hipopo is about a Chinese American girl who is struggling to find purpose in the midst of a pandemic. She wants to win a pageant competition of Miss Philippines to continue her already viral career on the internet. In the process of finding her beauty, however, she realizes that sometimes it is okay to simply be at peace with oneself and find self-love. In the film, Stella says, "Sometimes I feel like I should be constantly doing something. Like that's the only way I will be useful." That is a feeling the audience should feel all too familiar with, especially being quarantined at home for the past months. Since the pandemic hit, we have been forced to be okay with just being with ourselves. Stella manifested that shift in perspective.
Next Caller by Marlene Ginader is a thriller about the danger of online stalking. The story focuses on a female call center employee who is working at home due to the pandemic. But when the next caller comes in, she realizes that he is stalking her. The film is showing the risks of revealing oneself on the internet and catching the attention of the wrong people. The ending was quite suspenseful as we were left with an abrupt end to the story.
Never Alone by Team Living in the Meow is a touching film about a Thai American living alone as she goes through days worrying about not having an income and worse, becoming a failure. She made a paper figure of her grandfather and spent her days talking to him and making stop-animation videos to fulfill her aspiration of becoming a filmmaker. The audience gets to witness her slow descent into anxiety and depression. It is a personal story that many are familiar with. Especially in this time of struggle.
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- shingchung123
- Nov 8, 2020
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