-Written by Kyle Bain.
Corky Lee is a famous photojournalist, one that you may never have heard of. That’s because he spent his entire career photographing the Asian-American community, ensuring that their stories are told, and that justice was served in any and all situations. Photographic Justice: The Corky Lee Story is the story of Corky’s prolific career and the abundance of change for which he helped advocate.
Like many political documentaries, Photographic Justice: The Corky Lee Story sort of points fingers at others and expresses how those in power have caused issues for the Asian-American community. What’s different is that they don’t play the “woe is me” card, as they often express how they were able to hunker down and ensure that their futures were bright, that they were able to thrive regardless of their situation. I appreciate that Director Jennifer Takaki and the subjects of the film chose to take the film in this direction and present themselves, their community, and the history of Asian-Americans in a positive, powerful light. Complaining only hinders a film of this nature–and Photographic Justice: The Corky Lee Story paints a picture far different than what I’m used to seeing in films of this nature, bringing to life a community’s prowess more so than their struggles.
The thing I think I appreciated the most about Photographic Justice: The Corky Lee Story is the way that Takaki incorporates Corky’s photographs into the film. It doesn’t happen as often as I would have liked, but when Takaki uses Corky’s photographs, she does so with grace and cohesion; she does so in a way that makes them and the film incredibly inviting.
Corky Lee is an interesting character, there’s no denying that–but does he warrant a feature-length documentary? I’m not so sure. The reality is that he spent decades taking somewhere in the range of one million photographs, and that’s an incredible career to attempt to cover in a short film. However, I’m not sure that viewers are given the best of his career, and had Takaki chosen to develop a short film rather than a film this long, Photographic Justice: The Corky Lee Story may find more success.
Not to say that Photographic Justice: The Corky Lee Story isn’t a good film, because that’s certainly not the case–however, I do believe that with the years of content available, the pacing of the film could have been more effective. Or, again, this simply could have been a short film.
With the struggles regarding the pacing, I found myself drifting from the screen every now and again. It was hard for me to focus all of my attention on Photographic Justice: The Corky Lee Story because there were so many slower moments unwilling to or incapable of capturing the brilliance of Corky.
Corky Lee is interesting enough to warrant a film, there’s no doubt about that–but not one that extends itself beyond the thirty-ish minute mark (at least not based on what I saw in Photographic Justice: The Corky Lee Story). It’s an interesting film regardless of the pacing, but it’s certainly missing a level of gusto needed to keep viewers engaged throughout. It falls flat from time to time, and I just wish that Takaki had chosen to be more concise, rather than focusing on aspects of Corky’s life that just won’t appeal to viewers.
Directed by Jennifer Takaki.
Starring Corky Lee, Karlin Chan, Ching Yeh Chen, Fay Chiang, Rocky Chin, etc.
6/10 = WATCH IT FOR FREE
