Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Ben Tanaka (Justin H. Min) is an overtly cynical and critical Japanese-American failed filmmaker who manages a small cinema hall. He is dating Miko (Ally Miko), a trust-fund baby and fellow Japanese-American, despite his fetish for white women. When Miko moves to New York for a three-month internship, their relationship status becomes uncertain, leaving Ben to explore other options while spending his free time with his gay best friend, Alice Lee (Sherry Cola).
Directed by Randall Park, the 2023 movie Shortcomings is based on a graphic novel of the same name by Adrian Tomine, exploring the double standards and denials of ordinary people who become trapped in situations and relationships they would have probably avoided if they lived in an ideal world. Or at-least, that’s how I would define the film.
The most fun aspect of Shortcomings is the friendship between the very heterosexual Ben and his totally gay BFF Alice, who are both aware of each other’s shortcomings yet embrace each other with nonjudgmental arms, unlike their approach toward others. Most of the story unfolds from Ben’s POV – his disdain for commercial cinema, soft spot for white women, and self-centered approach to everything. Justin Min is excellent as the conceited Ben Tanaka, but since the character is not too likable, one wishes viewers got to see more of Miko and Alice’s POV. They are also flawed, but at least they offer a change of scene.
Well, like the title suggests, this is a film about grey characters – the guy who’d lie through his teeth just to sleep with a girl he finds physically attractive, the girl who keeps running away from her problems instead of confronting them, or the person whose double standards are glaringly grating. There’s a little bit of all kinds of people in the three protagonists of Shortcomings, offering relatable glimpses into the everyday challenges of just getting through tricky relationships.
Rating: 3 on 5. Watch Shortcomings on Netflix.
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