“Bubblehead” film response

At first glance, “Bubblehead” deals with the differences in social rules regarding time. The director’s focus on time is especially evident in her depiction of the mother’s car: the mother is quick to leave, her car peeling out of the driveway as if being chased, but she is always late to return. The theme of cultural differences is explicitly revealed by the teacher in her lecture to Cyrus. However, the film is also particularly subtle in revealing other, deeper differences such as how Cyrus attempted to smother his Korean-speaking alarm clock as if trying to cover his heritage.

Furthermore, I found it interesting that Cyrus never speaks in class except to say, “wan wan.” He speaks only to his parents and in voice-overs representing his thoughts. I interpreted the silence to be a manifestation of his alienation and confusion over the two different customs by which he is taught to live. Growing up as an American-born Asian, I was taught never to wear my shoes inside the house, and yet when I go to a friend’s house I am told to keep them on. I always feel a bit guilty as I tread carpets with my sneakers, and I imagine Cyrus may be feeling the same dilemma. His mother lives by her own time and never apologizes for being late, so it must not be wrong. And yet at the regimented and scheduled life of pre-school/day care, he is taught that there is only one way: the Western way. It is not, “wan wan,” the teacher chides, but “bow wow.” The strict teacher explains how in the West it is customary to be “punctual,” while the mother lives, as noted by her son Cyrus, without a watch.

If “an apple is an apple, but also more than an apple,” then “Bubblehead” is also more than just a story of a busy mother who’s always late to pick up her son. Through this short film the viewers get a glimpse into Cyrus’ predicament of which standard he is supposed to adopt, and whether following the Western customs means forsaking those of his family’s or vice versa.