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Feeling the Feels
Comparing a K-drama to an American drama
Expats vs. May I Help You?
I probably shouldn’t compare them at all. Two completely different genres, set in two different Asian countries, produced by filmmakers in two different countries — Korea and the U.S. But I watched the Amazon Prime Original mini-series Expats (2024) right after finishing a not very well-known K-drama series, May I Help You (2022). I was struck by the differences. And the differences made me wonder about the role of art and filmmaking in society.
Measuring the Role of Art in Society
How do you measure that? What’s it good for besides entertainment? What do we mean by entertainment? I consider any type of creative work as spending time with friends. Is this a friend who you want to hang with? Who connects with something in you so that you feel known? Or is this friend a A Debbie Downer but you value her presence in your life, like Eeyore to Winnie the Pooh. Or is it a one-night stand type of relationship? A mistake you want to forget ever happened.
The K-drama Side
On the one hand, the K-drama May I Help You? is about a quirky young woman, Dong-Joo, who works as a funeral director and then discovers she is able to talk to the recently deceased. After she comes to terms…
