Parallel States of Change: On Creating Ash

This thesis paper was written in support of the short documentary film Ash, a sociocultural exploration of two Seoul punk venues and the scenes that formed around them. Ash is a film that co-opts the music documentary form in order to re-examine ideas surrounding cultural and gender norms. It follows no strict genre rules and often relies on punk style and humour to maintain a greater sense of verisimilitude. In Ash we learn about people struggling to assert their identities against the oppressive narrative of a dominant culture, about how they eschew simple satisfactions in the struggle to pursue individual happiness. Defying stereotypes of race, gender, or cultural expectations, it is a film of hope and purpose. It is a story about living a life within a closed system. Above all else, Ash is a story of struggle, triumph, and defeat. An elegy to the loser’s victory.