Dominick Parungao is a Filipino-American filmmaker currently living in New Jersey. As with many AAPI filmmakers, the attacks on Asian Americans after Trump's accusations regarding COVID, were a source of inspiration, with “The Indifference Between Us” focusing exactly on this topic through the relationship of a Chinese-American girl with her grandmother.
“The Indifference Between Us ” review is part of the Submit Your Film Initiative
The 10-minute short begins in the kitchen, where Ellen, an elderly Chinese woman is “nagging” to her granddaughter, Maia, about the difficulties her generation faced when they first came to the US, and how easy kids these days have it. The girl is polite, but essentially indifferent, not taking her eyes off her smart phone. Eventually, she gets up to leave, but before that, she promises her grandmother to accompany her to the market. A bit later, she meets her girlfriends, and the three of them decide to take a walk in the park. While there, they witness an attack on an Asian American youth by another man, but, with Maia's instigation, they decide to not get involved and just leave. A phone call, however, reminds her that she forgot her promise to her grandmother, in the most painful way.
Dominick Parungao directs a simple short, which focuses on its comments, which are, however, multi-leveled. The issue with the attacks on Asian-Americans is the most central and obvious ons, but through the relationship of the two women, he also remarks on the generational gap, the consequences of indifference, and how not paying attention or meddling when someone is being hurt can turn against the one who acts so. That Maia's choice not to interfere with the attack in the park results in the subsequent attack on her grandmother looks like a cliché, in divine punishment style, but does get the message through. Lastly, the way Maia finally “wakes up” after she sees her grandmother in the hospital, adds a note of positivity in the short, while also highlighting the fact that people can come closer in hardship.
Technically, the film is simplistic, without any particular exaltation in visuals and sound, maybe with the exception of the difference in lighting and color between the hospital and the rest of the settings. The music tends to be a bit sentimental, although not to a point to affect the movie in any significant way. Eve Zhao as Maia is quite convincing, both in her indifference and her realization. Fanny Lawren as Ellen on the other hand is excessive in her acting, to the point that she becomes annoying quite quickly.
“The Indifference Between Us” has a purpose of getting a distinct message through, and in that regard, it succeeds to the fullest. Nothing more, nothing less.
