Director Jay Song and scriptwriter Kim Hae-gon have brought to the silver screen the widely translated book Les Catilinaires by successful Belgian novelist Amélie Nothomb, with their film “4PM”. The English language title of the book “The Stranger Next Door” quite literally exposes the subject matter but it’s undeniable that 4pm sounds more thrilling and mysterious.
4PM is screening at Fantasia International Film Festival
University professor Jeong-in (Oh Dal-su) is savouring his last lesson before retirement. He cannot wait to move with his wife Hyeon-sook (Jang Young-nam) to their newly bought house (it was love at first sight!) in the woods near a river, and finally spend quality time with her, far from the public world. The two are a very close-knit couple, sharing interests and hobbies like meditation, long walks, nature and dining out, and the new setting seems the ideal choice for them to spend possibly the rest of their life and enjoy a happy and well-deserved retirement. On the first day in the new house, trying to facilitate good neighborly relations, they leave a kind message to their only neighbor – a doctor who lives in a similar house nearby – inviting him over for a tea and a chat.
And here he is, at 4pm, just when the couple is about starting their afternoon meditation, Doctor Yook-nam (Kim Hong-pa) knocks at the door and unceremoniously, makes himself comfortable on an armchair. The first few attempts to a polite conversation are poorly paid back with bare “yes” and “not”, but despite the struggling conversation, the guest sits there, uninvolved, for 2 very long hours, until 6PM, at which time he stands up and goes back home. Puzzled and amused by the bizarre episode, Jeong-in and Hyeon-sook don’t give it much importance, but the day after – and all the following days – doctor Yook-nam, punctual like clockwork, shows up at 4PM and sits on the sofa, barely saying a word, until 6PM. Quickly, the visits become more and more unbearable, until the couple start to think how to get rid of him. But by what means? And wait to see the doctor’s wife!
The film starts and ends with Jeong-in’s existential reflections about regressing from knowing and understanding himself and his place in the world, to no longer knowing anything about himself and the narration indeed follows this reverse path of unawareness and systematic moral dismantling. However – quite sensibly – the film cuts down the existential journey amply developed in the novel’s dialogues, and expands the visual narrative of the familiar cinematic trope of the “intruder” or the “stranger next door”, where usually a seemingly ordinary character harbors secrets or dark intentions and disrupt the tranquility of their neighbours’ lives. In doing so, the film plays on the fear of the unknown and the idea that danger or intrigue can lurk unexpectedly close to home. Even more interesting, though, is the disrupting effect that such intruder has on the personality of the victim and his set of moral rules, making the movie a captivating journey into Jeong-in’s mental and moral degeneration.
“4PM” also poses some interesting and darkly funny questions about the limits or boundaries of politeness and social behavior. To what extent are we allowed to be honest in a context of social interaction? What are the consequences when excessive or insincere politeness is employed to maintain social harmony and avoid conflict? The tone is shifting and rich of nuances; it all starts as a light comedy and the curious visits of the doctor are rather funny, more than threatening, and gradually drifts into a disturbing territory where the rude intrusion begins to poison the couple’s life and cause anxiety and fear to fester and grow. Finally, it descends into the grotesque, when Jeong-in is completely consumed by the intruder and thus abandons any notion of morality and integrity, and the film delivers its shocking finale.
Set almost entirely in a single location, “4PM” resembles a theatre play with few actors and very strong performances. The main trio is a virtuoso ensemble; Oh Dal-su wonderfully displays all the shadings of Jeong-in’s moral degradation supported by Jang Young-nam who embodies fear and anxiety but with a more human and feminine restrain. Kim Hong-pa, on his side, is a deliciously dark and unreadable villain (or is he?). The gorgeous autumnal setting also contributes to the sense of foreboding, as if its shifty beauty could suddenly turn into a rigid winter. Its duplicity is tastefully captured by Park Jong-chul‘s cinematography, and its ochre color palette is maintained through the whole film, even in the indoor scenes where the atmosphere turns dusty and almost dreamlike.
In conclusion, “4PM” taps into the fundamental fears of the unknown among us and the violation of our personal sanctuaries creating an entertaining exploration of the dark side of the human psyche that weaves its storytelling across genres like thriller, horror, and drama.
