Smoking Tigers
Directed by So Young Shelly Yo6.2100%5.4
Follows Hayoung, a lonely 16-year-old Korean American girl who tries to hide her problematic family and lower-income background from her new wealthy friends, only to discover the struggles of adulthood that will forever shape her life.
Where to Watch Smoking Tigers
- Kevin WardJuly 2, 2025Excellent Korean-American coming of age drama anchored by an impressive lead performance from Ji-Young Yoo. Set in early 2000’s Southern California, Hayoung is an adolescent experiencing monumental changes. Her parents are newly separated, and both financially struggling. Living with her mother, they’ve downsized into a smaller house to a different part of town. But her mother insists on enrolling her in a prestigious academy to ensure she has the right doors opened for a good education. It’s here she meets Rose who introduces her to more experiences—boys, parties, drinking, cheating on exams, tattoos, etc. Hayoung navigates all this while trying to hide the fact that her family isn’t nearly as well off as the other students families. We all have a tendency to hide our shame. Hayoung’s mom tries to hide that she’s taken a second job at a restaurant. Hayoung hides where her actual residence is, telling people she lives at the large gated house at the end of the street. But sometimes we’re forced to wear that shame, like matching tattoos of a boyfriend who’s left you for someone else—or a name tag from the restaurant you work. We can’t usually hide these things, at least not for very long. There’s a recurring use of mirrors throughout the film, that suggest the need to see our true reflections and stop with all of the hiding.
Smoking Tigers Trivia
Smoking Tigers was released on August 16, 2024.
Smoking Tigers was directed by So Young Shelly Yo.
Smoking Tigers has a runtime of 1h 31m.
Smoking Tigers was produced by Guo Guo.
Follows Hayoung, a lonely 16-year-old Korean American girl who tries to hide her problematic family and lower-income background from her new wealthy friends, only to discover the struggles of adulthood that will forever shape her life.
The key characters in Smoking Tigers are Hayoung (Ji-young Yoo), Dad (Jung Jun-ho), Mom (Abin Shim).
Smoking Tigers is rated Not Rated.
Smoking Tigers is a Drama film.