Review for ‘‘Speak’’ by Jung Park

Half lighthearted family comedy, half inspiring short about an issue that touches millions - if not every single - kid, Jung Park brings us Speak as her first directorial project, drawing from her lived experience and interests.

Speak is dripping with personality and obviously has the creator's heart and soul poured into it. Centering on a Korean tough-love grandma and her awkward grandson who's going through a confidence crisis, it effectively rides the wave of recent tales of asian-american experiences and family relations within the context of modern US society. In equal measure heartwarming and darkly comedic, it's a short albeit steeped in emotion film.

Although not necessarily innovative, the short's technical aspects, especially given its limited budget, do not disappoint, with editing, music and camerawork all driving the plot and character interactions forward. Sprak's main draw are obviously its actors, and while young Liam Kyle is convincing in his awkward and reserved role, the real centerpiece is Park herself, bringing the unfiltered tough-love energy of a caring elderly korean woman on screen.

All in all, Speak beautifully combines the creator's vision and experiences in speech & debate training with a snappy script and darkly funny timing. An excellent first shot at filmmaking.