Even though Kang Mi-ja made her debut, “Let the Blue River Run”, quite a long time ago in 2008, “Spring Night” is only her second full-length film. The latest work of the Korean director, based on Kwon Yeo-sun‘s book of the same title, was screened at the 29th Busan International Film Festival and the 75th Berlin International Film Festival.
Spring Night is sceening at Berlin International Film Festival
The story focuses almost exclusively on two middle-aged characters. Yeong-gyeong (Han Ye-ri) and Su-hwan (Kim Seol-jin) cross paths at a mutual friend’s wedding. When Yeong-gyeong gets drunk and passes out, Su-hwan makes sure she gets home safely. This act of kindness starts a ritual between them, as they begin to meet regularly and find comfort in each other’s company.
Bypassing lengthy exposition or buildup, the film dives straight into the main plot. The audience learns little information about the characters, although during short scenes of conversations, both of them share their traumas. The narrative is loosely based on the novel, not presenting the same events, but rather capturing its atmosphere, as it focuses on the silent despair that defines the lives of both Yeong-gyeong and Su-hwan. Although this plain approach allows the audience to feel the weight of their struggles to some extent, it’s difficult to identify with them on a deeper level.
The greatest strength of the film is the acting. Both leading performers, Kim Seol-jin and Han Ye-ri, convincingly play individuals who are troubled by their tragic experiences, but come to accept their faith, more or less. The chemistry between them is evident, as their characters are connected by a sorrowful past – while Yeong-gyeong battles alcoholism, Su-hwan struggles with arthritis. Both conditions, despite their different characteristics, were equated by the director, which can be seen especially in one scene as both characters are shown crawling on the ground after one of Yeong-gyeong’s relapses.
With the characters often depicted in isolated settings, the cinematography by Lee Ji-sang and Seo Tae-beom underlines perfectly the atmosphere of profound loneliness they experience, capturing the eerie essence of liminal spaces. Locations that are usually crowded, like a shop or hospital, in “Spring Night” are inhabited by only two people, who were pushed aside from the modern society. What’s more, shot with a minimalistic and repetitive visual style, these settings emphasize them being trapped in a vicious circle, despite the passing of years.
Kang Mi-ja’s second feature presents a doomed relationship of two lost souls haunted by their experiences and their inability to change. While drawing on elements of melodrama, at times reminiscent of Hong Sang-soo‘s work, the narrative avoids cheap sentimentality often found in romantic movies. Instead, it presents the realistic, intimate, and poetic at times picture of Yeong-gyeong’s self-destructive spiral and Su-hwan’s helplessness. However, despite the interesting subject and intriguing stylistic choices, “Spring Night” is too short to and too simplistic in presenting its characters and topics, leaving the viewers unsatisfied.
