Tribeca 2023

"Smoking Tigers" is an excellent Korean-American coming-of-age drama anchored by an impressive lead performance from Ji-Young Yoo. Set in the early 2000s in Southern California, Hayoung is an adolescent experiencing monumental changes. Her parents are newly separated, and both are financially struggling. Living with her mother, they've downsized into a smaller house to a different part of town. But her mother insists on enrolling her in a prestigious academy to ensure she has the right doors opened for a good education. Here she meets Rose, who introduces her to more experiences—boys, parties, drinking, cheating on exams, tattoos, etc. Hayoung navigates all this while trying to hide that her family isn't nearly as well off as the other students' families. 

We all tend to hide our shame. Hayoung's mom tries to hide that she's taken a second job at a restaurant. Hayoung hides where her actual residence is, telling people she lives at the large gated house at the end of the street. But sometimes we're forced to wear that shame, like matching tattoos of a boyfriend who's left you for someone else—or a name tag from the restaurant you work. We can't usually hide these things, at least not for long. The frequent use of mirrors throughout the film suggests the need to see our true reflections and stop all the hiding. The beautifully composed images combined with the wonderful lead performance make "Smoking Tigers" an excellent watch.

— 4 / 5 ⭐