In Our Day

Hong Sang-soo · 2023 · 84 minutes
June 12 · Regal Riviera · 7:00 p.m.

“Exultant and revelatory.” – Richard Brody, The New Yorker

“The joy of [Hong’s] elusive movie-morsels is that the more one puzzles over their uneven surfaces, the more they glow, like polished pebbles.” – Jessica Kiang, Variety

“Some of Hong’s loveliest cinematic moments in years.” – Rafaela Sales Ross, The Playlist

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 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.