Bedford Park (2026) 'Sundance' Movie Review: A Thoughtful, Relentlessly Bleak Drama of Cultural and Ethnic Tension

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There are films that are sad, depressing, and hopeless, but writer/director Stephanie Ahn’s debut feature, “Bedford Park,” reaches a point at which it is simply punishing. The grounded drama looks at the complicated challenges faced by Asian Americans who simultaneously feel burdened by their parents’ expectations and unable to feel valued in American society, an experience that grows more pressing when their family units begin to dissolve. Ahn’s simple, elegiac direction rises in moments of catharsis and revelation, but “Bedford Park” is so downbeat that the narrative momentum is often stagnant.

“Bedford Park” is the story of two strangers who meet through an unusual accident. Audrey (Moon Choi) has been out of contact with her family and dealing with serious personal health concerns, but is compelled to return to her childhood hometown in New Jersey after her mother (Won Mi-kyung) is injured in a car accident.

Audrey, who has already grown defensive because of her unfortunate circumstances, begins a feud with the former wrestler Eli (Son Suk-ku), who hit her mother’s car in the crash. Eli is working as a security guard and has taken occasional community college courses, but has felt directionless for many years as a result of lasting childhood trauma. Although he and Audreys’ connection is initially one of hostility, they begin to realize that they share feelings of depression and fear. The Korean word “han” refers to the lasting sense of anger, frustration, and sadness.

It’s to Ahn’s credit that the chance encounter between the characters doesn’t fit within the tired “enemies-to-lovers” trope because there’s no reason why Audrey and Eli would have a significant impact upon each others’ lives if they both weren’t seeking someone to lash out at. The pressure that both have felt based on their Korean communities has created a perspective of self-hatred, which may explain why it’s become so easy for them to direct their rage towards other Asian Americans. “Bedford Park” gradually assesses the progression of their relationship as both begin to recognize how alone they really are.

Audrey has found that she’s pretending to be a different version of herself in order to appease her mother, who expects her to get married and have a family that would continue their culture. Conversely, Eli has been forced to direct attention away from himself due to the criminal activities of his half-brother (Jefferson White), who seeks his assistance for a new job in Miami. Tensions revolve around whether either of these characters will fall under these pressures, as Eli’s potential move and Audrey’s willingness to bend to her mother’s whims would seemingly be the worst option for both characters.

Bedford Park (2026) — A still from “Bedford Park” (2026)

As effective as the setup is, “Bedford Park” compounds the morose nature of its characters’ lives with the addition of more reasons for them both to feel shamed. Eli struggles to keep his job as a mall security guard and reveals a dark secret about his stepfather, and Audrey faces further judgment from her mother’s colleagues and friends at their local church, all of whom have been falsely led to believe that she is a devotee of the religion and has a burgeoning career as a medical professional.

The sad reality that both Audrey and Eli live in grows more complicated and frustrating as the film slowly creeps forward, making it harder to grasp what motivates them. Although the depiction of depression and anxiety is more respectful than most independent productions have been capable of, “Bedford Park” creates the illusion that these characters are without any friends, hobbies, or joy altogether.

“Charming” wouldn’t be the right word to describe the central relationship, but both performers show an earnestness that makes it reasonable to suggest that both would be willing to look past their initial impressions of one another. If Eli’s restraints are physical, as he fears what damage he could do should he be placed in a dangerous situation, Audrey has been so opposed to expressing any feelings that she’s not sure how to explain her emotional state anymore.

This does lead to a series of conversations that are largely repetitive and only glacially hint at the subtextual issues that are going on. It’s not a sustainable pace for a film that intends to resolve itself on some moment of satisfaction, and thus there are respective scenes with both characters in which they list every stress within their lives to a new character that hadn’t previously been introduced. Audrey’s scene is with a date set up by her mother, and Eli’s is with his adopted mother, and they both feel obligated to make up for pacing that had otherwise been stagnant.

The knotty narrative progression of “Bedford Park” does not detract from the breakthrough performances by the two leads, both of whom carry the weight of the material with the sensitivity and personability that it deserves. Choi, who has only occasionally appeared in English-language films like “Okja,” is completely immersive as a character who feels at odds with her culture, and beautifully shows how Audrey is both respectful of her ancestry and pressured to uphold it.

Son, who had previously been best known as an action star, finds subtle ways to express Eli’s sensitivities through his physicality, and clearly studied the mannerisms of wrestlers. “Bedford Park” would not be nearly as profound if it weren’t for these two, both of whom will hopefully have more opportunities opened up for them as a result of their excellent work.

“Bedford Park” is overall an experience that is rewarding, even if it does bite off a little bit more than it can chew. While the personal details about the characters can feel a bit contrived, Ahn presented an honest, yet compassionate depiction of Asian American life that is pure and isn’t weighed down by unnecessary comparisons to white culture.

There are instances in which the odds are so stacked against the characters that the film begins to shift towards manipulation, but “Bedford Park” ends in a place where it feels as if Ahn has used Audrey and Eli as a way to work through difficult conversations. If the film’s goal was to evoke empathy, then “Bedford Park” is certainly a success.