In a movie world seemingly saturated with hyperbolic movies, this comes as a welcome surprise. This movie has no worm holes, no fight scenes that keep going even though the recipient of such violence would've perished in the first 5 seconds, no rags to riches, no spandex, no fancy anything, and yet it still delivers!

Good storytelling. Great acting. Clever cinematography. The sweeping camera work and frame changes was used very effectively.

As a white Canadian boy, I thought the movie did an excellent job with racial discrimination. It wasn't forced on the viewer, and yet it showed how these subtle (and not so subtle) biases affect minorities almost daily. The movie also did a great job of showing how painfully unaware us white Canadians were/are of how impactful these displays of ignorance are. Stanley Park.

What makes this movie though, is the plight of a single mother and son. Great chemistry between these 2 (3) actors. A perfectly paced arc of their growth together.

Brilliant movie. I hope it gets picked up by streaming so more people can see it.

One of my favorite Director ever is Richard Linklater. And watching this movie gave me vibes of the old Linklater movies. Though, this film is much more concise with an arc.

The movie is split into 3 part with 3 different moods. Begins as a coming of age story. Has the digital noise with a 4:3 aspect ratio. Colors are muted. And i thought at first it was just an artistic choice(being that it takes place in the 90's). However, it plays into the storytelling.

The things we talk about from our childhood after a certain age gets fuzzy. With every emotion turned up. The happy moments seem like the happiest one has ever been. While the sad moments are the worst.

The 2nd third, The colors and contrast changes. The cinematography is cleaner and warmer. But, still the aspect ratio is the same and still feels like 90s film with a slightly bigger budget. And it shows how the age of adolesence is quite a life turning experience. And the risks of escapism.

The final 3rd is much more modern. With a full screen ratio. And beautiful sweeping shots.

All in all. An amazing movie. Very well acted. The emotion is real and each moment with the characters is empathetic. Even some of the side characters are very endearing. A wonderful experience. And i recommend this to any fan of movies.

9/10.

I had to write this review, because I was a bit surprised to read that some reviews said the movie didn't go deep enough? That the movie didn't deliver? This movie was só much better than I expected! I liked the fact that the story was divided in three parts and if you have lived in the nineties, it's nice to recognize the clothes and other small details from that time. The characters were very realistic and very well played! Since I am an andopted Korean living in Europe myself, some of the things the boy did and felt were very recognisable. Although the story contains some really heavy issues, the director succeeds in keeping things 'light' by not overdoing heavy dramatic scenes. Just raw authentic emotions. Some stories inside the story of the movie were pure poetry and full of wisdom. I did cry a couple of times because of the beautiful way the movie shows how we are all connected to our roots.

This isn't an action or drama movie. It's a realistic down to earth movie. It's more then just an immigrant family trying to adapt to life in a new country. It goes deeper then that. It's about a Mother's love for her son. It made me reflect back to my childhood and my mother trying to take care of me.

I even got a bit emotional watching this movie and that does not happen much. When the mother has to face the truth about her own mortality she still tries to help her son find his roots and himself.

I enjoyed the music and story line and I would not change one thing about how this movie was made. At first I was not even sure I would like this movie but I was shockingly surprised. I will watch it again.

Not for the faint of heart, Riceboy Sleeps is one of the finest films of the last few years. The coming-of-age story takes on many themes involving race, identity, and family while remaining an incredibly personal and original testament to the experience of an immigrant mother and son. It provides an insight into a world otherwise impossible to fathom. Excellent camera perspectives throughout and beautifully shot, following each character almost too long but with a beautiful intent. The aspect ratio changes several times throughout and appears to be on real film stock, giving marvelous saturation to each scene and the degree of realism is nearly unmatched, but could be likened to films including The Florida Project and Moonlight. It's a very tough and touching movie. I saw this by chance in the Madrid Film Festival and feel so lucky! I would not have known! Shim is a wonderful director and I can't recommend this highly enough.

Watched it at the Kingston Canadian Film Festival. The movie was made on film so there was a grainy texture, an aged feeling. At times it felt like clips from someone's home video.

There was a lot of subtle humour, beautiful imagery, and endearing cultural input that I was very familiar with.

However, I was disappointed that the movie didn't excite me. Not excitement like joy or thrill. I just felt the movie was one cliche after another. It used a lot of common things that happened to immigrant families that got played out in numerous films already. I wished it had more character exploration and development outside of typical events. When they were so jam packed in a short time period, they didn't seem natural.

However, the film moved away from that in the third act. The ending felt like a breath of fresh air after being stuck in the basement for years.

I'm glad it wasn't all about immigration and integration. It captures what is being human when others see you as a mere immigrant. The discrimination and integration scenes might seem cliche but that is exactly what I (immigrant child in the 90's) went through. Changing name, food shame, parents views on violence, discipline etc.

When the boy goes to Korea to meet family he suddenly feels comfortable, that side of him that was only revealed at home with his mother now can come out and it's normal.. not something to give up on in the name of "integration". Now the blond hair that was meant to impress a Canadian audience feels dumb, he reaches more clarity with exposure to his roots.

But the story was always about the mother, not her as an immigrant but as a resilient woman that lived with love, never gave up and lived with love. It seems obvious but in all truth we don't give these kind of women enough credit. A simple story with so much depth that all people that have gone through this will know how accurate it is.

Riceboy Sleeps, a film featuring So Young (Choi Seung-yoon) and her adolescent son, Dong Hyun (Ethan Hwang), elegantly portrays the challenges and triumphs associated with immigration. The narrative unfolds as So Young, a single mother, relocates to Canada in the 1990s, seeking a brighter future for herself and her son. However, racial discrimination, cultural conflicts, and personal hardships mar their journey. The escalating tensions in their relationship reach a pivotal moment, prompting a confrontation with their past and a quest for mutual understanding and healing.

While I perceive the portrayal as authentic, it is those who have endured similar experiences who can best attest to its veracity. The performances by the lead actors are compelling, effectively capturing the nuances of cultural identity and the dynamics of a mother-son relationship. Riceboy Sleeps is characterised by its prolonged shots and visually arresting scenes, fostering a contemplative viewing experience. The film delves into themes of identity, loss, and family dynamics, universal aspects of the human experience.

Despite receiving acclaim and numerous accolades, Riceboy Sleeps may not resonate with all audiences. The director's methodical storytelling approach may not appeal to some viewers, and the film's ambiguous ending could be a source of discontent for others. The movie's emphasis on subdued emotions and nonverbal communication might pose interpretative challenges.

It is important to note that Riceboy Sleeps is not a conventionally entertaining film. However, those seeking a thoughtfully crafted drama will appreciate its sensitive portrayal of the immigrant experience, the excellence of the performances, and the film's visually stunning cinematography.

Watch it.... That's all I have to say, just WATCH it. This film connects deeper to immigrants and shows the struggles of an immigrant boy and his mother. The movie shows the boy's childhood struggles and teenage struggles in a subtle/honest yet beautifully shown. This masterpiece also shows the beautiful bond of a mother and son in the most true yet spectacular manner. Not only the story and screenplay's spectacular, but also the artistic side of films. The vivid tones set an intimate and cozy/warm feeling that enhances the relationships and emotions in the movie. In my opinion, this film is perfect in every manner; art of cinema, emotions, dialogue, acting, wonderful cinematography, and much more. MUST WATCH!

A single mother and her young son immigrate from Korea to Canada, and she struggles (and reasonably succeeds) in making a new life and adjusting to their new surroundings. The story is told in 3 acts. First is when the son enters Grade 1, second is when he is a teenager in Canada, and third is when she takes him to Korea to learn about his roots.

The director gives memorable sweeping vistas of Korea, as opposed to the more gritty views of life in Canada. But neither country is fully accepting, and it is interesting to see the hypocrisy of a school that tolerates verbal assaults, but has zero tolerance of physical assault. Things do get easier as more immigrants arrive, and life becomes less lonely.

There are interesting vignettes of Korean culture, but they do not seem to drive the plot forward, and there are major loose ends.

Stumbles in the same way recent arthouse outputs like 2019's Waves have, where their emotional weight is substantially lessened in their quest for pleasing and/or unique aesthetics. At least in Shults' film, the directorial choices supported the state of the characters, like how the shifts in aspect ratio reflected the isolated or stressed state the leads found themselves in. Riceboy Sleeps has a very particular way of shooting its scenes, with the camera roaming around the place like a third party, a spectator looking in from outside -- which is exactly the issue. Too many interactions fail to pull their clearly intended punch because of the simple fact that the literal distance between the people and the camera also increases the emotional distance. Why are heartfelt moments shot from such a wide angle, so far away? Why don't we linger on Dong-hyun as he experiences a realization, but instead move on to a different corner of a classroom where some teens are messing about? To add editing to the mix, why do we cut away from confronting moments, when those are the exact kind we need to see the immediate reaction to?

It's not just the filmmaking that made this lack resonance, there's also nothing that stands out in the script. The first act is repeating every 'foreign kid in western classroom' trope we've seen countless times now. As a white kid, I'm most definitely not an authoritative figure in this matter, but I would love to see stories add to the conversation or spin it in a new direction, not just endlessly regurgitate it.

Pretty much all that follows adheres to this lack of eagerness to innovate, which is a shame, because there is a very solid emotional core that is sadly not built upon properly. The journey in Korea constitutes a relatively small slice of the whole, even though it is, by far, the most interesting section. It's where the characters get to develop. As it stands, they get a few scenes where what exactly changed is unclear apart from a few new appreciations found by Dyong-hun which apparently satisfy needs he was barely established to have. It all ends with what you'd expect, a moment of catharsis that is clearly meant to be the knockout, the moment to drive you to tears, but it felt utterly empty to me.

Luckily, the visuals do save it from the damage they themselves did -- the whole thing does look neat and has some excellent long takes that really draw you into the conversation -- but a lot of it is carried by sheer acting power, which should never be the case. A performance can be as mighty as can be, but if I feel no connection, watching it is not much different than seeing Daniel Day-Lewis yell at the top of his lungs in a TikTok "best acting ever" compilation.

So-Young (Choi Seung-Yoon) immigrates from South Korea along with her young son, Dong-Hyun (Dohyun Noel Hwang; later played by Ethan Hwang) to the Vancouver region in Canada. The film chronicles their various adjustments, struggles, and victories. "Riceboy Sleeps" is based partly on the life of Anthony Shim who is also the film's director and writer.

The early scenes in Canada show troubles of adjustment for both mother and son at work and at school respectively. This is greatly highlighted in a powerful, fiery scene in a school principal's office. These scenes take place around 1990 before the story jumps to 1999. At this point, adjustment has taken place and the main characters have less trouble standing out as "ethnics" and the racism they faced in earlier years. And while Shim shows great talent as a writer and director, his acting skills are also well displayed in the later section where he plays So-Young's boyfriend, a character who has a sweet humility that comes off as shy and awkward sometimes.

But Shim's best talents show in his directing. Many scenes are rich with depth and in some of them, the camera moves perfectly in single-shot scenes.

A scene in Korea near the end seems to have a different flow compared to the film's other scenes. And while it is quite good and necessary to the story, part of it might be far-fetched as it includes someone whose health is very weak and not likely to sustain the demands of travel. But this is a minor complaint for a film that shines in so many other ways.

The movie's most outstanding asset is Choi's performance. While she has great cathartic scenes at Dong-Hyun's school and her workplace, she is most powerful in subtle, quiet ways. This includes her awkward adjustment in a new job in a new country plus her most outstanding scene (and possibly the best in the film): one in which she is having a conversation with a doctor.

Some have compared "Riceboy Sleeps" with "Minari". This is a compliment to both great films. - dbamateurcritic

RATING: 9 out of 10

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT: Acting by Choi Seung-Yoon.

It's hard to shrink a life's story into a 2-hour movie. It's even harder to divide that into many different sections such as adapting to life in a country as a new immigrant, relationship between parents and children, overcoming obstacles including discrimination and hypocrisy of the social norm, forging friendship and love, sudden discovery of a terminal disease, and making amends with past losses before the imminent end. These are all the topics that the movie tried to cover. And naturally as a result, one can only scratch the surface of every issue instead of digging deep into any. That is the impression I got after watching this movie. It does reflect many realistic issues new immigrants are facing in Canada but just doesn't feel that it goes deep enough to offer a good solution or good ending for any of them. I guess that's life.