You’d be forgiven for not having seen every Hong Sangsoo movie. The South Korean director, known for films like “On the Beach at Night Alone,” “Claire’s Camera,” and “The Novelist’s Film” has released 29 features, and often more than one in the same year. So was the case for 2023, which saw the festival circuit premieres of “In Water” and “In Our Day.” And as of writing, Hong already has another movie that premiered at the Berlinale, “A Traveller’s Needs.” A new Hong movie is always a pleasure to celebrate, and so IndieWire shares the exclusive trailer for “In Our Day” ahead of the upcoming release from Cinema Guild. Watch below.
Here’s the synopsis for the film:
Sangwon (Kim Minhee), an actress recently returned to South Korea, is temporarily staying with her friend, Jungsoo (Song Sunmi), and her cat, Us. Elsewhere in the city, the aging poet Hong Uiju (Ki Joobong) lives alone, his cat having recently passed away. On this ordinary day, each of them has a visitor: Sangwon is visited by her cousin, Jisoo (Park Miso) and Uiju, by a young actor, Jaewon (Ha Seongguk). Each of them wants to learn about a career in the arts. But they also have bigger questions. Both Sangwon and Uiju have ramyun noodles for lunch, and they both add hot pepper paste to their ramyun noodles, not a very common thing to do. As our friends talk and drink the day away, similarities between these encounters multiply and we begin to realize they may be more than just mere coincidence.
With his 30th feature film, Hong demonstrates a new level of mastery of his art, using long, deceptively elaborate shots to articulate the simplest of pleasures: an inter-species encounter, the discovery of a new drink, a game of rock paper scissors. Kim and Ki lead an outstanding cast of the most natural of performers. “In Our Day” is a film to drink of deeply, to share with friends, and afterward, to reflect on what matters most.
Cinema Guild will open “In Our Day” beginning May 17 at Film at Lincoln Center. The film will expand elsewhere on May 24.
