Literature/Visual Art

Ho Bin Kim
hk1983nyu.edu
Network: ✎





*This film was a part of a product of a collaborative work with Brandon Braza. Funded by the Cycle Project of Overlab

Title: Ep.4 Reality Sandwich: Everything is Queer (2024)

Runtime: 16:12

Director: Ho Bin Kim

Starring: Brandon Braza

Music: Kimchi Cowboys


Synopsis

In the fourth episode of Reality Sandwich, filmmaker Ho Bin Kim travels to Bacolod, Philippines. Teaming up with Brandon Braza, a local queer artist, Ho Bin dives into a world where, as Brandon asserts, “everything is queer, thus Reality Sandwich is queer.” Together, they wander through Bacolod’s local cafes, lively neighborhoods, and sugarcane fields, engaging in candid dialogues on the fluid intersections of self and society.

As Ho Bin and Brandon delve deeper, they encounter a unique seasonal spectacle—spider fighting, a popular pastime where local children and adults alike gamble on small spiders’ battles. Guided by neighborhood kids, they meet a “spider dealer” who feeds and sells spiders kept in matchbox-sized containers, fueling a whole micro-economy based on these tiny creatures. Through intimate shots, the episode reveals the spider trade as more than a local curiosity, becoming a metaphor for entrapment and commodification.

In a finale, the camera follows the search for spiders among Bacolod’s iconic sugarcane fields under moonlight. Flashlights reveal webs glistening in the darkness, a method used to capture spiders destined for future battles. Yet, in a poetic twist, the flashlight illuminates Brandon himself—embodying the entangled vulnerability of living as queer in a society that seeks to contain him. Ep.4 Reality Sandwich: Everything is Queer immerses viewers in a layered narrative of cultural traditions and personal identity, exposing the intricate webs woven by both human hands and societal expectations.


"Reality Sandwich" is a documentary series Ho Bin is developing, where he follows an artist or group for an entire day in various cities, asking, "What is a Reality Sandwich for you?" The motive behind this question is Ho Bin's desire to understand the concept of a Reality Sandwich without reading the book Reality Sandwiches by Allen Ginsberg. He fears that reading it might limit the possibilities of what a Reality Sandwich could be. The documentary series portrays different interpretations of a Reality Sandwich.