THE STORY – An experimental filmmaker pays a rare visit to see her semi-estranged mother in hopes of rebuilding their relationship, but long-standing resentments resurface when she realizes that her mother’s disapproval of her life choices has only grown in the years since.
THE CAST – Kim Min-hee, Choi Myung-gil, Kwon Hae-hyo, Shin Seok-ho & Park Mi-so
THE TEAM – Hong Sang-soo (Director/Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 72 Minutes
At 72 minutes, “Nowhere to Lay My Eyes” may not the shortest feature film made by South Korean auteur Hong Sang-soo – that would be his notorious out-of-focus “In Water,” which clocked in at just over one hour – but it may be the one that packs the most ideas into the shortest amount of time. Considered one of his “miniatures,” the film marks the first leading role for star Kim Min-hee since giving birth to a son last year with her partner Hong.
In this, Hong’s 35th feature film, she portrays Sang-hee, who works at a snack company by day and is an experimental filmmaker by night, creating micro-shorts for YouTube. One blustery day, she and her younger brother (Shin Seok-ho) travel to Jeju Island to visit their mother (Choi Myung-gil), from whom she is semi-estranged and hasn’t seen for over a decade. Part of the reason for the estrangement is her parents’ divorce, which forced her to be raised by her grandparents. So she is shocked to find that her mom has since remarried, this time to a documentary filmmaker (longtime Hong stalwart Kwon Hae-hyo), whom she can’t bring herself to call “Dad.”
Though Sang-hee has come to the island to try to rebuild a bridge to her mother, Mom appears to be oblivious to that, once again praising Sang-hee’s brother’s sensible life choices and passive-aggressively criticizing her daughter’s. Whereas Sang-hee has found contentment in following her passion while still making enough to get by, Mom is all business all the time. If you’re not making money, what’s the point of life? Mom makes it very clear that her ultimate goal is for Sang-hee to quit this silly filmmaking hobby in Seoul and move to the island to take over the family’s successful chain of restaurants.
Awkwardly trying to fit into all this tense family dynamic is Sang-hee’s new stepdad, who makes an indelible impression when meeting his new stepdaughter by face-planting down the porch stairs. (Kwon is such a good physical actor that the accident looks absolutely real, and he sells it as such.) When it’s pointed out by mom that both have much in common as filmmakers, Sang-hee dismisses that idea, questioning whether spending ten years on a project about grass tombs is really filmmaking. What’s more, Sang-hee makes films about life, such as flowers growing in the wild, while her stepdad spends years focusing on death.
Interestingly, Hong, who rarely (if ever) deals with contemporary politics in his films, includes observationd of the current war in Gaza, as Sang-hee – in her arguments against documentaries being real filmmaking – makes the point that competing Israeli and Palestinian films touting each side of their points of view serves as little more than political propaganda, a jolting perspective from the previously non-political Hong.
Seemingly, the only friendly face that Sang-hee encounters is that of her stepdad’s biological daughter Ju-won (Park Mi-so). After suffering from a period of clinical depression, Ju-won has taken up painting as an outlet, which allows her to develop a sense of self-worth and a chance to express her feelings in a way she had never been able to before. As a fellow artist, Sang-hee sees in Ju-won a kindred spirit of sorts, a supportive voice amidst the economic obsession of her mother. Still, Ju-won’s slightly over-eager support of her new stepsister keeps the ever-cautious Sang-hee from fully embracing her: “I wish I liked her more.”
This being a Hong film, there’s a lot of talk, whether on walks or at a dining table, usually with a lot of alcohol to loosen the tongue and bring the drama. Unlike many of Hong’s other works in which a family resolution is presented as open-ended, “Nowhere to Lay My Eyes” presents something rarely seen in a Hong climax: hope. And just the slightest bit of optimism. Much of that must be laid at the feet of both Hong and Kim. Whether their real-life relationship is a factor or not, she appears to understand and communicate his take on the world as few of his actors have. Even as Sang-hee is filled with doubt and complexity, Kim’s grasp of the character is thorough, so much so that we can’t help rooting for her ultimate happiness.
If there is a downside to the film, it’s that Hong has crammed so many ideas into a scant 72 minutes that it hardly seems enough time to fully explore the subjects they raise. It’s rare to complain that a film is not long enough, but there’s so much to deal with issue-wise, we sometimes lose the characters. (For example, despite Shin’s game performance, the brother character is barely fleshed out at all.) His characters need time to breathe, and a few more scenes to further explore Sang-hee’s relationship with other family members could have made the film an even richer experience.
Hong is nevertheless a filmmaker who is very precise in calculating the tonal qualities he wants to set in his films. So to see him conclude this film on an optimistic note without pandering to his audience is a small but important breakthrough of sorts that one hopes returns in some form to his filmography in the years to come.
