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Critics’ Choice
Korean director Hong Sang-so weaves the best threads of two intersecting stories in a tender film about pleasures.
By Brandon Yu
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In some other world, there’s a Hong Sang-so cinematic universe, where an enraged fandom celebrates a movie or two each year by featuring a revolving door that’s not of family superheroes but of poets, filmmakers, and actors, each of whom struggles with themes of life and love, rather than global threats. These elements, of performers on stage, drinking soju and smoking in the middle of conversations, are found in many of the little humanist gems that make up the South Korean auteur’s filmography, and the same goes for his latest film, “In Our Day. “”.
The film, as warm and level-headed as it is undeniable and languid, follows two separate evenings (diptychs are a trademark of Hong’s) over the course of an afternoon of bachelorhood. One comes to Sangwon (Kim Min-hee, Hong Kong’s common collaborator and former co-star), an actress who is thinking about retiring, as she spends the day with her friend and her young cousin; the other comes to Uiju (Ki Joo-bong), an old poet who gives life lessons in his apartment to two college students, one of whom films him for a documentary.
The two plots don’t intersect, as they do in Hong’s films; They are only united by the use of a culinary trick: mixing hot pepper paste with ramyun. Their gochujang-scented noodles provide an undeniable pleasure, which in recent days has been even more satisfying for Uiju, who, on doctor’s orders, abstains from drinking. and smoking. But he can’t really resist on either front, mirroring a sentiment from the beginning of the film when Sangwon, while giving treats to a friend’s cat, says, “What’s the point of living anyway?Eat your fill. “
It’s a ray of existential wisdom buried in the mundane, if you look at it correctly. Most of the film is made up of those moments. Isn’t that also the case with life? To seek or expect more would be to court disappointment. “Don’t look for meaning. It’s cowardice,” Uiju tells a young student who is desperate for great answers. “Just jump into the water. Look no further. ” Know everything before you jump, like a coward.
Currently Not qualified. In Korean, with subtitles. Duration: 1 hour 23 minutes. In movie theaters.
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