By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3 cats
Director: Roh Deok
Starring: Ha Yeon-Soo | Kim Min-hee | Lee Min-ki
Original language title: Yeonaeui Wondo
Country: south_korea
Year: 2013
Running time: 112
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3004788/combined
Kyle says: “According to the New York Asian Film Festival program booklet, VERY ORDINARY COUPLE, seen in its North American Premiere screening, out-grossed both A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD and GI JOE 2 at the Korean box office. Relief or disbelief is a possible reaction, but a better one is celebration of the fact that Roh Deok is one of very few female Korean directors. How her direction focuses on details of human behavior in emotional extremities is the reason to see the film; VERY ORDINARY COUPLE otherwise can be considered a fairly routine romantic comedy. Chang (Kim Min-Hee) and Lee (Lee Min-Ki) work for Standard Chartered Bank Korea Limited. The sterile work atmosphere is somewhat enlivened by the fact of their public break-up and subsequent screaming fights, involving co-workers in various complications.
‘Chang and Lee realize their love for each other and agree to try again, but the fact of love and hate being close relations interferes constantly. One of director Roh Deok’s triumphs is avoidance of easy solutions to difficult problems, and the ending leaves open the futility of expected resolution. Another reason to applaud the direction is the performances of the two leads, fully capturing the silliness of which human beings are capable when they care very much about each other but nonetheless destroy everything they share. Apparently some Korean journalists warned couples that they might break up after seeing the movie together, but the box office numbers obviously tell a different story. 3 cats
“Seen Wednesday, July 10, 2013, New York Asian Film Festival at the Walter Reade Theater, Film Society of Lincoln Center, New York.”