Spa Night

Spa Night
File:Spa Night Poster.jpg Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Andrew Ahn
Written by	Andrew Ahn
Produced by	David Ariniello Giulia Caruso Ki Jin Kim Kelly Thomas
Starring	Joe Seo Haerry Kim Youn Ho Cho
Cinematography	Ki Jin Kim
Edited by	Yannis Chalkiadakis
Production companies	Nonetheless Productions Extraordinary Renditions First Birthday
Distributed by	Strand Releasing
Release dates	January 24, 2016 (2016-01-24) (Sundance) August 19, 2016 (2016-08-19) (United States)
Running time	93 minutes
Country	United States
Languages	Korean English
Box office	$40,294

Spa Night is a 2016 American coming-of-age drama film written and directed by Andrew Ahn (in his feature directorial debut). It stars Joe Seo, Haerry Kim, and Youn Ho Cho. It centers on a closeted Korean-American teenager who, living with his financially struggling immigrant parents, chances upon a secret cruising spot when he takes a job at an all-male spa.

The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 24, 2016, where Seo won the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Performance. It was given a limited theatrical release in the United States on August 19, 2016, by Strand Releasing. It received positive reviews from critics, and won the John Cassavetes Award at the 32nd Independent Spirit Awards.

Plot

David, an 18-year-old living in Koreatown, Los Angeles becomes an employee at a spa to help his financially struggling parents. He soon discovers illicit gay sex between the customers, which forces him to consider his own sexuality.

While this has been described as a coming out story, the focus is on the internal world of David, and his deep struggles and uncertainty, as a teenager, about how to be a good son but how to also be himself in what is a conservative family and rigid community.

Cast

• Joe Seo as David Cho
• Haerry Kim as Soyoung
• Youn Ho Cho as Jin
• Tae Song as Eddie Baek
• Ho Young Chung as Spa Manager
• Linda Han as Mrs. Baek
• Eric Jeong as Peter
• Janice Pak as Stella
• Angie Kim as Esther Kang
• Kahyun Kim as Grace
• Sun Park as Mrs. Kim
• Chris Yejin as Korean Counter Woman
• Yong Kim as Academy Director
• Esteban Andres Cruz as Boyish Mexican Man
• David Pevsner as Fit Man
• Jose A. Solorio as Luis

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 96% of 25 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.8/10. The website's consensus reads: "In depicting one man's sexual awakening, Spa Night explores the tension between tradition and individuality with tenderness and compassion." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 76 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.

Stephen Holden of The New York Times described Spa Night as "a contemplation of the loneliness, tension and anxiety of outsiders pursuing a piece of the American dream" and "a looming family tragedy of immigrants desperately trying to maintain a foothold in an oppressive, upwardly mobile and conformist subculture."

Sheri Linden of the Los Angeles Times called the film "erotically charged, quietly devastating" and praised that Seo's "sensitive lead performance affectingly expresses the tension between tradition and personal identity."

Nigel M. Smith of The Guardian gave the film 3 out of 5 stars and remarked, "Ahn's muted approach to his material, coupled with the passivity of the film's lead character, leaves Spa Night feeling too cold to fully engage." Smith also commented, "Despite its setting and Korean American cast, Spa Night unfurls in a largely expected manner."

Boyd van Hoeij of The Hollywood Reporter stated, "Ahn subtly teases out his protagonist's inner struggle, often by letting David interact with the small but fine-grained gallery of supporting characters."

Peter Debruge of Variety opined, "Cruising is a tricky dynamic to capture onscreen, and Spa Night only partially succeeds, concerned more with David's bystander curiosity than the sophisticated nonverbal seduction going on around him. Then again, Ahn doesn't aim to sensationalize."

Kate Erbland of IndieWire gave the film a grade of "B-" and noted, "The beautifully lensed drama is, like its protagonist, compelled and often obsessed by the human shape and form, and Ahn's film artfully uses the physical to tell a mostly standard issue coming-of-age story with style."

Sheila O'Malley of RogerEbert.com gave Spa Night 3 out of 4 stars and wrote, "The film is admirable in presenting the issues a gay kid faces in an extremely specific environment, and for resisting a more conventional storyline."

Accolades

Award	Date	Category	Recipient(s)	Result	Ref.
Boston LGBT Film Festival	March 31–April 10, 2016	Jury Prize for Best Narrative Feature	Andrew Ahn	Won
Florida Film Critics Circle Awards	December 23, 2016	Best First Film	Spa Night	Nominated
GLAAD Media Awards	May 6, 2017	Outstanding Film - Limited Release		Nominated
Independent Spirit Awards	February 25, 2017	John Cassavetes Award	Andrew Ahn, David Ariniello, Giulia Caruso, Ki Jin Kim, Kelly Thomas	Won
		Someone to Watch Award	Andrew Ahn	Nominated
Inside Out Toronto LGBT Film Festival	May 26–June 5, 2016	Best First Feature		Won
Nashville Film Festival	April 14–23, 2016	New Directors Competition		Nominated
Outfest Los Angeles	July 7–17, 2016	Grand Jury Award for Outstanding Performance	Joe Seo	Won
Philadelphia Film Festival	October 20–30, 2016	Best First Feature	Andrew Ahn	Nominated
San Diego Asian Film Festival	November 3–12, 2016	George C. Lin Emerging Filmmaker Award		Won
Sundance Film Festival	January 21–31, 2016	Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Performance	Joe Seo	Won
		Grand Jury Prize Dramatic	Andrew Ahn	Nominated

External links

• Spa Night at IMDb
• Spa Night at Box Office Mojo