By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Bora Kim
Starring: Ing-gi Jeong | Ji-hu Park | Sae-byeok Kim | Seung-Yun Lee
Original language title: Beol-sae
Country: south_korea
Year: 2020
Running time: 138
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8951086/reference
Michael says: “As with GHOST TROPICAL, the thought emerged as I was watching HOUSE OF HUMMINGBIRD, I think I would be getting more out of this film if I knew more about life in South Korea in the mid-90’s. Unlike GHOST TROPICAL, Kim Bora’s debut film puts enough in to make it work without too much head-scratching. Despite its roots in actual events (the film feels very autobiographical) the central coming-of-age focus makes it less historical and more personal. 14-year old Eun-hee is searching to find her place in the world as she enters into that adolescent period were every decision seems both completely irrelevant and life-changing at the same time. Her family is caught up in the middle-class struggle to improve. Her parents run a bakery, where the three children are often drafted into service. Eun-hee seems like an after-thought in the family. As the youngest in the family, it almost doesn’t matter what she does. All their hopes are pinned on her older brother, the best chance of the first college graduate in the family. He’s the golden boy, even when he casually hits Eun-hee and when their mother noticed the bruises, she sighs with resignation and embarrassment, telling her kids to stop fighting. Eun-hee’s oldest sister has been completely written off as she sneaks in and out of the house, partying and drinking her life away, while her parents just turn their heads.
“Eun-hee doesn’t have it that much better at school. While she has a pal, one who seems to come from a family just as broken as her own, most of her fellow students look down on her. It’s that early high-school class structure that most of us remember from our youth. Add to that the demeaning slogans the teachers force the students to shout, it’s all a bit overwhelming. Eun-hee does have a doting boyfriend though… and while they seem to be enjoying a fun, age-appropriate relationship, his mother does not approve, as they seem to be better off socially; than Eun-hee’s family. When things go south that relationship, Eun-hee latches on to a new girl who seems to be obsessed with her. Add to that the cyst that has developed behind her ear, and the potential diagnosis that might leave her permanently scarred after the surgery, you’d like there would be nothing for Eun-hee to wake up for in the morning.
“Enter Young-ji, Eun-hee’s tutor in Chinese from the University. Young-ji comes off most like a memory… all dreamy and mysterious, doing and saying all the right things, and saving Eun-hee when things get really rough. Young-ji delivers life lessons like she’s handing out fashion advice, too cool to be believed, and seen through the gauze of adoration. Young-ji give Eun-hee the resolve to keep going, and to make it through adolescence to whatever awaits her on the other side. When she goes to see Young-ji after a particularly tough moment, looking for advice, and finds her gone… no longer tutoring, and leaving no message, Eun-hee is initially bereft. But the lessons she’s learned from Young-ji are powerful and she carries them with her. The film’s final quarter involves a bridge catastrophe that is an actual event that occurred in Seoul in 1994. It’s shocking repercussions reverberate across the city and through Eun-hee and her family. Over the course of the lengthy film, and crystallizing around this major event, Eun-hee’s family evolves into something more real than the caricatures we were first introduced to. It’s a moving series of moments, handled at a gentle pace and with a natural grace.
“Ji-hu Park, a veteran actress in her fourth film, plays Eun-hee beautifully, artfully balancing the listless adolescent with few choices, and the hopeful young woman who just might be able to see a brighter future ahead. The entire cast does a nice job, especially Seung-Yun Lee, as Eun-hee’s exhausted and ever-distracted Mom. There’s a scene about mid-way through, after you may have rightfully written off her parents, that a few simple acts shows how much she loves her kids. It’s understated and small, but effective. The direction is strong too; Kim takes her time to tell her story so it never feels rushed or short-changed. When things move forward, it’s with purpose. Despite lacking the knowledge of the recent past that Kim Bora is exploring, I feel like I recognize it and understand what its heroine went through. 4 1/2 cats”
Bob says: “The tumult of life as felt by an 8th grade girl in Seoul in 1994. The film does a good job of making us get why she feels what she feels so strongly.”
Chris says: “A working class, coming of age study blessed by both a great lead performance from Ji-hu Park and writer/director Bora Kim’s nuanced, humanistic approach–like a South Korean Eighth Grade only set in pre-internet/social media times. 4.5 cats“