Matilda by Harry Styles is for children who don’t have a good relationship with their mother(or father) and constantly feel like they need to be doing more. They can never express themsleves in front of their parents because they will be rebuked for it. They’re constantly getting yelled at for no reason, always stressed, choke back their sobs and feel that they are a disappointment at all times.
“You’re crying over anchovies?”… it felt so true and so human and something that expresses a lot of where Monica, the mother, is emotionally, how she’s been feeling, everything that’s been pent up inside of her as she’s missing home. … I didn’t know if anybody would really connect to it. But I’ve been surprised that lots of people have been crying about the anchovies, joining in with her. And that’s been a real joy because it’s not just the Koreans or the kids of immigrants, but it seems like everybody kind of understands that feeling. Food is powerful. You know, that really hits so close to home for all of us.
Lee Isaac Chung in an interview with NPR’s Fresh Air (March 3, 2021)
Being Korean-American seeing this film, you just didn’t realize that you were sitting on so much grief. And watching the film lets it go, a little bit, and I think for us it’s something really great to celebrate… I think this film is specifically talking to me. When Monica eats the gochugaru, I burst into tears because it’s something that is so specific, and it’s almost like, oh I never knew that I needed that gift.
