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A Growing Business

A Growing Business

1998

Director

Kim Sung-hong

Runtime

100 minutes

Average Rating

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Synopsis

A peaceful yet somewhat boring small town has everything the townspeople need: a beauty shop, a pharmacy, a convenience store, and a Chinese restaurant. 'Chung-Wha-Roo' is the only Chinese restaurant in town until a new Chinese restaurant by the name 'A-Bang-Goong' opens right across the street. At first, A-Bang-Goong seems less than enthusiastic about their business; the exterior of the restaurant resembles a warehouse without a signboard, and all the employees are grotesque and brusque, even lacking the willpower for decent service including delivery. Despite the fact they serve only two dishes on the menu, their incredible gourmet flavor quickly becomes the toast of the town. As A-Bang-Goong becomes a local and nationwide phenomenon,, WANG, the owner of Chung-Wha-Roo becomes desperate. WANG visits his rival's to taste the famous dishes. However, he falls faint after discovering a human finger in his food.

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Diversity & Representation

Overall Score

3.9/10

Limited

Category Breakdown

LGBTQ+ Representation

Limited

The film lacks documented evidence of LGBTQ+ characters or narratives. The story focuses on commercial rivalry and supernatural mystery rather than non-heteronormative identities.

Gender Representation

Fair

The narrative centers on professional rivalry through traditional masculine archetypes of competition. There is no evidence of subverting gender hierarchies or portraying non-traditional roles.

Racial & Ethnic Diversity

Fair

The plot engages with ethnic minority businesses by centering the conflict on a Chinese restaurant. While employees are described as grotesque, their culinary excellence provides them with agency.

Religious & Cultural Diversity

Fair

The film explores capitalism and market disruption within a small-town setting. It deconstructs community stability through a dark, visceral mystery involving the costs of commercial success.

Disability Representation

Limited

Employees are described as grotesque, which may serve as visual shorthand for physical abnormality. It is unclear if this provides character agency or merely functions as a horror trope.

Strengths

  • Engages with the presence of ethnic minority businesses within the social fabric.
  • Positions cultural culinary excellence as a high-value, disruptive economic force.

Areas for Improvement

  • Avoid using 'grotesque' physical descriptions as mere aesthetic tools for horror.
  • Incorporate more diverse gender roles beyond traditional masculine competitive archetypes.
  • Provide more meaningful representation for LGBTQ+ identities and non-heteronormative narratives.

AI Analysis

A Growing Business is a genre-bending horror-comedy that uses ethnic identity and the uncanny to drive its plot. It succeeds in highlighting the presence of ethnic minority businesses within the local economy, positioning their cultural output as a disruptive force. However, the film relies heavily on traditional archetypes. The focus on masculine competition and the use of 'grotesque' aesthetics to create horror suggests a lack of nuanced representation for gender and disability. Ultimately, the film functions as a study of commercial disruption rather than a vehicle for progressive social representation.

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