I’ve been exploring a few different TV series recently. ‘Different’ because they were made in other countries and spoken in different languages than the American/English series I usually watch. One is a Turkish series called ‘Another Self’ and the other is a South-Korean series called ‘It's Okay to Not Be Okay’. I tried my best to watch them with subtitles, but at times, with the Turkish one I changed the audio to English so I could continue following when I was cooking for instance and couldn’t keep reading the subtitles.
It's interesting with different languages and cultures that I know little or nothing about – how quickly I’ve tended to feel ‘intimidated’ almost within myself. It’s like an instant and automated experience of taking a step back inside myself going ‘whow, what’s this…. I don’t know anything about this… I don’t know what to do with this… this is foreign territory’. Hm, foreign territory, quite an apt metaphor, with the experience subconsciously being that of having crossed into unknown lands, not knowing if I am a friend or a foe here, if I am safe or not. And so, ‘proceeding with caution’. I can see how many times that experience has come up in relation to a movie or a series and how often it’s immediately ‘put me off’ from wanting to watch it. Rather just ‘not going there’ and sticking to what is known, comfortable, safe.
It's funny in a way how I (we?) tend to assume the weirdest things about different cultures and languages as well, lol. Where, just because I have no clue what’s being said and can literally not understand anyone, and because I notice certain specific distinct differences from what I am used to – whether it be in the way of dressing, mannerisms, or in the physical dominant traits – I just kind of assume that ‘these are a TOTALLY DIFFERENT KIND of people’ – and that their ENTIRE LIVES AND CULTURE are TOTALLY DIFFERENT from mine, and that I have NOTHING in common and won’t be able to relate or connect with them AT ALL. But then, watching a foreign series on Netflix, I use the magic translation wand of ‘subtitles’ and suddenly I see that the things they talk about are… pretty much the same things I talk about, and the kind of thoughts they have is the same kind of thoughts I have and the way they organize their lives is pretty similar to the way I organize my life – and oh, they have cities there too, and shops, and jobs, and cars, and roads and, oh… it’s all pretty similar actually.
It reminds me of a moment when I lived in South Africa and one of the Zulu maids had painted her face white with some kind of cream and was doing household chores with this cream on. A visitor from Germany approached her and very respectfully inquired as to the reason or significance of the white substance she’d applied on the skin of her face. Her answer: “Oh, it’s for pimples”. Haha! The assumption had been that she was doing it for cultural and religious reasons that were beyond the visitor’s knowledge and understanding, because this was a foreigner after all, in a foreign country, with foreign habits. But turned out this was just part of her skincare routine, lol!
And what’s neat about things like foreign moves or series is that it gives us the opportunity to explore/be exposed to and get in touch with far away places and people but in an affordable way. We don’t need to travel all the way to a different country to ‘get a taste’ or a ‘feel’ of a different culture anymore. Once we let our guard down and decide to be open to that which is foreign, we can also start to pick up on subtle differences that aren’t as obvious or as easily observed as things like fashion trends, traditions or physical traits. The more subtle differences I consider to be different ‘words’ or ‘qualities’ that are more readily lived and embodied in different cultures. In Panama for instance simplicity, gentleness and celebration are words I encounter easily in people. Power, directness and cheekiness are words that stood out to me in many people in South Africa. And the same can to an extent be experienced through shows and movies. With the Turkish show what came through for me was an element of natural ‘earthedness’, a firm grounding in that which ‘is’ without feeling compelled to make it anything more, less or different. And what fascinated me with the Korean show was this ability to dive into the deep, dark and twisted aspects of human nature, while simultaneously embracing and embodying this endearing cuteness.
And what’s even more interesting, is that as we are exposed to these qualities that are so naturally lived and embodied by others, those same qualities are ‘spoken to’/sparked within us When we are always exposed to, confronted with and seeing the same or similar ‘type of people’ that are part of the same or similar culture – we tend to align to living and behaving according to and accessing those parts of ourselves more often. But when we’re met with different cultures, whether i.r.l. or on the screen, different words, different qualities, different parts of ourselves can come to the forefront. Because really, the only way I can see those qualities coming through in another culture, is because I recognize them, I can name them, I can sense them – I am familiar with them on some level of myself, because they too are a part of me – even if they do ‘taste’ a little strange, or a little foreign. Maybe what’s foreign is not at all about things I don’t know – maybe it’s more to do with what I have forgotten, what I’ve lost touch with, what I’ve neglected or spent little time defining and getting to know within me, that makes certain things seem awkward, or makes me feel less confident about who I am within and in relation to those qualities/expressions in others and in me.
And perhaps, that is the mirror that ‘foreign’ people and cultures hold up for us – the parts of ourselves we’re not that well acquainted with, that don’t come as naturally to us, that we’ve not spent much time getting to know, defining, let alone expressing. Could it be that all our fears of ‘others’ and of ‘people who are different’ are essentially rooted in the knowing that when we’re faced with something that is unfamiliar, it is harder to foresee or predict what it might trigger or bring out within us? And we are quite aware that there is more to us than meets the eye, that our waters are deeper than we care to admit, that there is much to who we are, how we operate, what makes us ‘tick’ that we ourselves don’t understand, that we ourselves are ignorant towards.
One way of remedying that fear, that unease, that awkwardness and insecurity, is simply to go there, to explore, to get to know, and to spend time with those parts of ourselves. Name them, define them, sense them, get to know them, see how we can live them and integrate them in a healthy and supportive way – embracing, accepting and welcoming them back into the whole of who we are. And foreign cultures, and so foreign movies and series can be a great tool to allow those parts of us to come up, to surprise us, to disarm us, to reunite us.
Aside from this, I can simply recommend the two shows purely on their content, the acting, the storylines, I thoroughly enjoyed them! So, to end off, here is a synopsis of each one – Enjoy!
Another Self
““Another Self” is a Turkish drama series about three best friends who set out on a healing journey to unearth the past to restore the present. After the relapse of cancer in her liver, Sevgi decided to travel to Ayvalik. She heard of a healer who could cure her sickness, and she wanted to give it a try. While Ada, a surgeon, did not trust the healer’s ability, she decided to support Sevgi on her spiritual journey nonetheless. Leyla, the outspoken social media influencer, also joined Sevgi and Ada to travel to Ayvalik. The spiritual journey would be life-changing for the three best friends.”
It’s Okay to Not be Okay
“Moon Gang-tae lives with his older brother Moon Sang-tae who is autistic. They frequently move from town to town ever since Sang-tae witnessed their mother's murder. Gang-Tae works as a caretaker in a psychiatric ward at every place they settle in. While working in a hospital, he meets a famous children's book writer, Ko Moon-young, who is rumored to have antisocial personality disorder.
Circumstances lead Gang-tae to work at the OK Psychiatric Hospital in the fictional Seongjin City, the same city where they all lived when they were young. Meanwhile, Moon-young forms a romantic obsession for Gang-tae after finding out that their pasts overlap. She follows him to Seongjin, where the trio (including Sang-tae) slowly begins to heal each other's emotional wounds. They unravel many secrets, seek comfort from each other and move forward in their lives.”