One of the few benefits of being forced to shelter in place is that I have the opportunity to see some films that I ordinarily would not have time to see. This situation (and The Daughter’s boyfriend’s Disney+ account) enabled me to finally see Float and also the short Wind. Wind is one of a series of shorts from Pixar’s SparkShorts program, which was designed to find new storytellers from within Pixar’s ranks. While we have reviewed and talked about Float and also other Pixar shorts like Bao, none of had a chance to write up a review of Wind.
Wind is an allegory about immigration and the sacrifices that one generation makes to enable future generations to have a better life. In the video above, story creator Edwin Chang and producer Jesus Martinez talk about the creation of Wind. Chang’s grandmother was a single mother after the Korean war, and her sacrifices inspired Chang to create this story.
I found Wind to be engaging and moving. There are some aspects of it that reminded me of The Farewell, but with a twist. I definitely think it is worth your time.
Wind debuted on November 12, 2019, on Disney+, Disney’s streaming channel. Chang’s grandmother died before she could see it.
(photo credit: Pixar)
Movement is sharply curtailed by the Khmer Rouge. Children are encouraged to spy and report on “wrongdoing.” Every word could be turned against its speaker. People are sent to their death for being “class traitors.” Small details are devastating. At times it can be difficult to keep reading, the fear and dread so palpable it jumps off the page and you can feel your heart clench in anguish over what might happen next.
In episode 15, Eddie finally confesses to his mother that he scored 1500 on his SAT. The Huangs are visited by a Harvard alum for an interview (Andy Richter, who’s not a Harvard grad, filling in for Conan O’Brien, who is). Evan, writing his memoirs in anticipation of his running for HOA vice-president, steals stories from Emery and from Honey and Marvin.
Dope: There is something very sweet about seeing our main characters in the combinations they work best: the three sons and the two parents. The entire penultimate episode is full of nostalgia, as the boys openly discuss Eddie’s numbered days with the family, and Jessica and Louis relive memories of the van they purchased on their wedding night. The final episode is a little more of the same, with Jessica remembering how hard she worked to turn Eddie into the successful young man he’s become.
Wack: I hate to say this, but of the principal actors, only Randall Park seems to be fully engaged. Acting by the three young men is flat and listless, and the storytelling is lazy. In these final moments with the Huangs, do we really need a revisit by White and Richter? Richter’s character serves only to drive Jessica to the realization that her being a helicopter parent may have had its benefits, but it simply cannot continue.
I don’t get why the writers introduced a silly guest character to do the job when it could have been so much more special for Jessica to understand it on her own, in the context of her own family. It’s also unnecessary for the old white-man institution to tell the Huangs that their brand of parenting is a bad fit for Harvard. For Fresh Off the Boat‘s parting middle finger, I wanted to see the Huangs reject the white patriarchy. Or something!
For these last episodes, it would have been special to see the Huangs involved in something together, and while the writers try, framing episode 14 in a family visit to Disney World and episode 15 in a future commencement ceremony, both episodes are really separate plots held together weakly by these framing conceits.
Final grade, this episode: I am not one of those people who hates a final episode of a beloved TV show because it’s not what I expected or wanted. I liked the finales of Cheers, Seinfeld, and Friends. There’s a lot here I just don’t like, but it isn’t enough to outweigh the stuff I have always liked about this show. I’ll always remember Eddie, Jessica, Louis, Emery, Evan, Grandma, and Honey with overwhelming fondness for everything — good, bad, and really bad — they brought to a television landscape that needed them decades before they ever got the chance. Whether or not they’ve altered the landscape in a lasting way isn’t clear, but they were so important for this country and for my heart while they were here. A.
It feels like I’m losing a loved one, although because I haven’t watched the show since 
So here we are, about to lose a series whose importance really cannot be overstated. Perhaps the novelty of an Asian American family at the center of a network sitcom wasn’t as fascinating midway through the fifth season as midway through the first, and maybe that’s a good sign.
I’m sad. There’s 
