DeepSummary
Comedian Kulap Vilaysack created a documentary titled Origin Story to explore her dark family history and childhood trauma, including being physically and emotionally abused by her mother. During filming, she discovered that her biological father, whom she had never met, did not want contact with her because he feared she would ask for child support. Though the process of making the film was emotionally intense, it ultimately helped Kulap break cycles of abuse and strengthen her relationship with her mother.
A pivotal moment in Kulap's life was when her mother revealed during a heated argument that Kulap's father was not her biological father. This led Kulap on a quest to find her birth father, which included emotional reunions with his side of the family. However, the meeting with her birth father himself was disappointing, as he asked Kulap for money and they are no longer in contact.
Though the documentary took an emotional toll, making it was a form of healing for Kulap. She gained insights into her parents' traumatic histories as Lao refugees, which shaped their difficult parenting. The process helped improve her relationship with her mother, who had a profound perspective shift after a health crisis. Kulap also confronted her fears of continuing cycles of abuse if she became a parent herself.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Making the documentary Origin Story was an intense but ultimately healing process for comedian Kulap Vilaysack to confront her traumatic family history.
- A core part of Kulap's trauma was being physically and emotionally abused by her mother as a child.
- A pivotal revelation was Kulap's mother telling her during a fight that her father was not her biological father, prompting her quest to find him.
- Though disappointing, meeting her biological father gave Kulap some answers about why he rejected her.
- The documentary helped strengthen Kulap's relationship with her mother by providing context about her parents' traumatic refugee experiences.
- A driving factor for Kulap was breaking negative family cycles before potentially becoming a parent herself.
- The filming process forced Kulap to directly address her childhood trauma instead of suppressing it.
- While making the film took an emotional toll, it helped Kulap confront the truth to find healing.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “I have distinct memories of her wiping my bloodied face after she hit me in the bathroom and seeing my reflection.“ by Kulap Vilaysack
- “And while they were having this fight, this one evening, I'm in their bedroom because that's where the family Macintosh is set up. I'm probably in a chat room that I'm supposed to be in.“ by Kulap Vilaysack
- “Everything that I remembered was not true. And people who I grew up with, they knew I didn't know. And then the person that left me behind, I was true. Didn't want anything to do with me because they were afraid that I would want money from them just like that. And that is a pain that I've held onto since then.“ by Kulap Vilaysack
- “You know, at the time, you don't realize your parents are traumatized and scared out of their minds in a new world. But that was a setting in which, you know, their parenting style came from.“ by Kulap Vilaysack
Entities
Person
Company
Tv show
Movie
Podcast
Episode Information
The Longest Shortest Time
Hillary Frank and Stitcher
8/7/19