by REERA YOO | @reeraboo
editor@charactermedia.com
While Birdman swept four awards at the 87th Academy Awards, the dark comedy seems to have irked some South Korean netizens and film critics over a line involving the country’s flagship dish, kimchi.
In the controversial scene, Emma Stone’s character compares the scent of the flower shop to the pungent smell of kimchi. When her father, played by Michael Keaton, asks for flowers that smell nice, Stone replies, “It all smells like f–king kimchi.”
Although the Oscar-winning film has not yet been released in South Korea, local film critics have already accused the film for mocking Korean culture. Netizens have also criticized the film for disparaging Asian culture with other scenes, including one where a Japanese journalist is unable to speak English.
The local marketer for Birdman, however, has firmly denied these allegations.
“The flower shop Emma Stone visits in the film is run by an Asian and the line was simply used to portray her neurotic character,” a company official said. “There is no intention at all to belittle a certain country or culture.”
Birdman is slated to hit South Korean theaters on March 5.
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