할리우드의 제국주의적 응시 : 영화 <미나리>를 중심으로

Abstract

This article explores the film <Minari>(2020) in terms of the cultural imperialistic way America embraces non-English-speaking films within the Hollywood mainstream. In 2021, the 93rd Academy award - following the unusual step of giving all four major awards to <Parasite> (2019) the very last year - for the best supporting actress went to Yoon Yeo-jeong playing Soon-ja, the grandmother. It can be superficially interpreted as a breakaway from the American standard, a pursuit of cultural diversity in the post-Trump era, a frontier post of global cinema, or cinema globalization. However, this article will go beyond those existing analyses, examining American cultural imperialism where the American cultural industry, represented by Hollywood, ensures a stronger position as a ‘generous judge’ - which is qualified to assess other cultures from its own perspective and grant them an ‘artistic status’ - by conferring the honor of receiving the Oscars on <Minari> and <Parasite>. On the top of that, the American audience and film industry have the favorites with especially Soon-ja, who is close to ‘the uncivilized’ from the English speakers’ perspective. Standing at the opposite side of the white female characters portrayed by American local cinema, such as Fern in <Nomadland>(2020) which won the Oscar in the same year, Soon-ja functions as a signifier of the desire to regain the lost white man’s initiative reflected in <The Father>(2020). This article analyzes the collusion between ‘male gaze’ and ‘imperial gaze’ towards Asian women in non-English-speaking films that is the basis for Hollywood to stand as a cultural judge and secure its position as an American cultural empire. Also, this article looks into the attempt of the white American community reclaiming its lost masculinity by otherizing Asian women in film.