Turn On Those Captions

In his acceptance speech for his Oscar-winning film Parasite, Bong Joon-ho states, “Once you overcome the one-inch-tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films.” Over the years, I have grown to love International films and TV shows. I agree that once I jumped over the barrier, I fell in love with International media. Parasite was the film that opened the door for my journey in media. 

After seeing the success of Parasite at the Oscars, I decided to give the film a chance. I’ve always stopped myself from seeing films in other languages. Some of the reasons were the language barrier, different styles, and having to read. Entertainment, for me, is an escape from reading. It brings words to life; while reading, I have to create the story myself. So, going into Parasite, I was sure I would get bored throughout the film. It immediately blew me away. I was not having trouble going from caption to picture or concentrating. I could still acknowledge the sets, costumes, and storyline and completely understand the director’s vision. The language was not bothersome, and I learned more about what it’s like to live in South Korea. The weather, the hierarchy, and the violence were all demonstrated clearly in the story.

Through Parasite, I got exposed to the culture of South Korea. In Parasite, they demonstrated the food, living conditions, and lifestyle. We see it both from a wealthy and poor family point of view. My curiosity didn’t stop there, and my excitement to learn grew. I started watching lots of new shows in Netflix's Kdrama section. I started watching shows like Business Proposal, Queens of Tears, and All of Us Are Dead. In the Business Proposal, I was exposed to the food they eat: kimchi, bibimbap, bulgogi, tteokbokki, and japchae. They also do not eat complete meals like us; instead, they are divided up into small portions and shared among each other. In All of Us Are Dead, I learned about their education. Through the classes they take, the uniforms, and how their school hours range around 12 hours a day. In Queens of Tears, I learned about the importance of business relationships, their health systems, and the royalty of being in a wealthy family. I personally do not think I would have been exposed to their culture had I not allowed myself to see the potential in international films. I learned so much about their culture and daily life that I would not have been able to acknowledge through other forms of media. I’m so grateful to have overcome the barrier and allowed myself to step out of my comfort zone in a language I had not heard of before. 

Through Parasite, I also decided to step into Spanish TV shows. The first show I watched was Money Heist. Through watching the show and hearing the similarities of the Spanish I was familiar with, I slowly improved my Spanish. Spanish is my second language, but I’m not confident speaking it and struggle when communication is too quick. But by hearing the language and following along with the captions, not only did my reading of Spanish improve, but I also familiarized myself with the correct translation. Through having both English and Spanish, I was able to understand the proper translation instead of having to use context clues when I spoke with my family. Also, through finding more Spanish films, I started to bond more with my family. My mother and I always found movies together in Spanish every night. Not only has my Spanish gotten better, but I’ve also gotten closer to my mother through our bond of watching Spanish movies. 

By allowing myself to explore the category of international films, I learned so much about other countries' cultures and a language more myself. Even after seeing so many films in Korea, I’ve learned certain words. All the struggles or boredom I thought would have occurred through the language barrier and struggling with concentration did not happen. I was able to become so much more knowledgeable in other cultures. There are still so many languages and cultures that I can expose myself to. I find lots of enjoyment in reading the captions while also exposing my brain to a new language. I personally do not recommend using dubs. I feel as though it takes away from the writer's vision and the actor’s performance. Don’t even get me started on the words and lips not matching. I can’t wait to see what more films I can expose myself to instead of being afraid of captions. I will use them as a guide to explore so many more films.