The Harvest: A genuine portrayal of immigrant families from the set to the big screen
Premiering on June 20, The Harvest brings to the big screen a deeply personal story of generational conflict, cultural expectations, and the quiet strength of family.
This family drama follows an Asian son who returns home to his immigrant family to take care of his ailing father, only to confront the weight of cultural tradition and generational trauma. The film stars Doua Moua as the son, Perry Yung as the father, Dawn Ying Yuen as the mother, and Chrisna Chhor as the sister. Photo credit: Courtesy of Doua Moua
In an exclusive interview with The Independent Singapore, director Caylee So and actress Dawn Ying Yuen spoke about the authenticity of the film, not just in the story, but in the way each character was brought to life.
'I wanted to bring an authentic Southeast Asian way to it,' said So. 'One of the things Doua and I talked about was that even though the film is from the son's point of view, we wanted the mom and dad to have their own inner life and narrative.'
She continued: 'We expanded the script by asking, what's the relationship outside of the dialogue? I didn't want it to be a simple 'parents had a bad childhood' kind of story. I wanted the conflict to be more nuanced — more about differing perspectives rather than right and wrong.' See also Gal Gadot produces Israeli-Palestinian romantic drama
The film leans heavily towards the dramatic side of a family's story.
When asked how she helped her cast members unleash the emotional aspects of the film, she said, 'You know, in film school, they say that 90 per cent of a director's job is to cast well. So you find collaborators that, when you're on set, you have interesting conversations about the characters.'
So shared that despite having limited preparations due to the restrictions of COVID-19 back then, as they filmed, the cast members found their dynamics.
'What I found interesting, though, and what I really enjoyed about working with all four of them was that we were able to find the scenes as we went — we were able to play, I guess you could say,' the director added.
Dawn Ying Yuen, who plays the mother, spoke about her experience on filming, saying, 'What I really like about this film is that we were all able to play the role from our perspective. See also Will Smith appears in new sci-fi movie with hi-tech clone
Everybody just did their own thing, and then when she [Caylee] brought us together, it just worked. The family dynamics were actually really good, I must say.'
Dawn also shared how she relates to her character in some ways, given her life experiences. This has helped her understand where her character is coming from and how she prepared for her role.
'Although I didn't grow up with a mom, I grew up with my unmarried aunt, who helped a lot around the house,' she said. 'I observed her closely — how she acted under stress, how she reacted to situations, and brought those nuances into the role. So I usually surround myself with a lot of older folks, like my aunt and my mother-in-law.'
Dawn added, 'So I see a lot of this kind of people who always look very strong and try to pull everybody together, but actually deep down inside they are also going through a lot.'
When asked who her character represents in today's society, the actress simply answered:
'The mother who takes care of the family. The mother who has to carry the burden on their shoulder, to make sure everybody is well-taken care of. But you know, at some point, she got burned out. She needed her own space. She needed more than just doing the work. She needed love and compassion from someone.' Photo credit: Courtesy of Doua Moua
Through The Harvest , Caylee So wanted the audience to immerse themselves in the film and see themselves in it.
'I hope that we represented an authentic family that is struggling and is confronted with things that everybody is confronted with, and this is specifically how they deal with those challenges. I do hope that the audience relates to it in that way.'
Dawn added, 'This film can really educate people who are not from our culture. This is what Asian families are like.'
The Harvest is currently available for pre-order for Apple users. You can watch the official trailer here:
The film is available for purchase on June 20 on Amazon, Apple TV, and YouTube. Poster credit: Courtesy of Doua Moua
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