Singer and actor Lee Jong-hyun's first and leading short film, "Going Cherry Blossom," is an excellent work that calmly depicts the heavy themes of life, death, love and hope in a short running time of 28 minutes. The works invited to major domestic film festivals, including the Jeonju International Film Festival, and recognized for their authenticity and perfection give a deep sound beyond the modifier of the directorial debut of a famous actor.
The movie is about Su-mi, a daughter who lives with her mother, who is a terminal cancer patient, facing the worsening reality without financial support, but never giving up hope of going cherry blossom viewing with her mother.
Director Lee Jong-hyun expands his personal memory of loss to universal empathy through this autobiographical story. In fact, this movie, based on the experience of sending out a mother with cancer, allows her daughter's immature regrets and last hope to seep quietly into the audience's mind.
The production of "Going to see the cherry blossoms" is modest. Instead of gorgeous scenes or exaggerated emotions, emotions are expressed through the silence of characters and gaps in daily life. As soon as she is discharged from the hospital, her daily life of bringing her mother home to take care of her, and Sumi's gaze at the cherry blossom viewing poster on the wall shows a lot without direct lines. Such an approach allows the audience to slowly approach the person's emotions. On top of that, the music that Yoon Il-sang participated in enhances the movie's emotions and envelops the overall atmosphere beautifully.
Movies look at the pain of one individual in a social structure. The reality of not receiving any support because of living in a "150 million won house" reminds me of the voices of people in today's welfare blind spot. Questions about how humans can dream of hope in the role of women who take care of their families, economic inequality, and life preparing for death are oozing throughout the movie.
Based on his experience as an actor, Lee Jong-hyun captures the emotions of the characters in detail, and as a director, he is also responsible for the weight of the story until the end without exaggeration. Moderation in directing, which expresses the depth of emotion but never is buried in emotion, prevents the work from only simple emotional consumption. Rather, it remains an afterimage that remains in the mind for a long time even after the movie is over.
"Going to see the cherry blossoms" is not a splendid debut, but it is a debut that combines sincerity. This movie, which has one hope that blooms at the boundary between life and death, shows the true power that short films can have. Director Lee Jong-hyun's first film, which has a short but deep sound, makes me look forward to what she will continue to talk about in the future.
"Going to see the cherry blossoms" at CGV Art House on the 22nd will bloom like a small flower that someone will never forget.
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