A gorgeous antidote to anyone feeling life’s burdens, Hong Sanghoo’s masterful In Our Day is a love letter to friendship, simple pleasures and quiet joys. Sangwon (Kim Minhee) returns to South Korea for a visit and bunks with her longtime friend, Jungsoo (Song Sunmi), whose cat, Us, entertains them with its cuteness. Sangwon receives a visit from her cousin, Jisoo (Park Miso), an aspiring actor who seeks advice. The cousins spend an afternoon discussing what inspires the best performances in a veiled commentary about Sanghoo’s filmmaking techniques in this film.
Elsewhere in the city, an elderly poet Hong Uiju (Ki Joobong) also receives a visitor, Jaewon (Ha Seongguk). He too seeks advice about acting. A lonely Uiju accepts the visit although he’s unsure about what advice he can offer as he isn’t an actor. Over ramyun noodles and drinks, both Sangwon and Uiju spend a pleasant day with their visitors, philosophizing about career choices, the pleasures of eating simple foods, and the challenges with living life authentically.
In Our Day attempts to answer the questions each young person asks, What is life? What is it to live? Uiju believes the answers in books are wrong. He informs Jaewon that we can’t know what life is when we are living it. When the young man asks, What is love? Do we really need it? A smiling Uiju replies that if he were in love right now, he wouldn’t ask that question. The poet believes looking for meaning is a form of cowardice, a way to avoid fully living. He exhorts Jaewon to jump in the water and stop overthinking.
Of course, that kind thinking makes sense for anyone at the end of their days. It scares young people scrambling to find their way. Over the course of an afternoon, Jaewon learns a thing or two from their conversation as he clumsily steps, if not leaps, into the water. The film’s message may be that small moments in good company are what it’s all about. The clue is in the cat’s name.
Hong Sangsoo’s “In Our Day” screens August 2 – 4, 2024 at Northwest Film Forum at 1515 – 12th Ave. 206-329-2629 or try http://nwfilmforum.org
