South Korean director Hong Sang-soo’s film presents an uncomfortable comic story of infidelity. Bongwan (Kwon Hae-hyo) is a Seoul book publisher whose wife Haejoo (Cho Yun-hee) is aware that her husband is having an affair. She tries to interrogate him over breakfast, but he is evasive. Bongwan was having an affair with his assistant Changsook (Kim Sae-byuk), but that soured and she quit her job. Replacing Changsook is Areum (Kim Min-hee), a sensitive aspiring writer. Unfortunately for Areum, her first day on the job is thrown into tumult when Haejoo arrives at her husband’s office and violently mistakes Areum for Changsook. Haejoo’s physical assault on the unsuspecting young woman enables Bongwan to lie to his wife that Areum was a one-time mistress and he will not retain her as an assistant—which results in Areum being fired and Changsook being brought back into the office. Hong’s filmmaking style involves lengthy conversations between the characters, non-linear sequences, and dreary black-and-white cinematography. Optional. (P. Hall)
The Day After
Cinema Guild, 101 min., in Korean w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: $29.99, Blu-ray: $34.99 Volume 34, Issue 3
The Day After
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: