House of Hummingbird

Set in 1994, the film focuses on a 14 year old girl struggling with family and school, while trying to find her identity, which is something we all go through at that age, I guess. There were a few subject matters that were very well tackled in the film, considering the ages of the young actors, and more importantly the time period the film is supposed to be based on. Kids are usually very good in dramas, so there were no surprises in terms of their performances. There's a major event in the film that occurred in the mid 90s, which most foreigners probably aren't aware of, and which answers the question as to why the film was set in that period.

The only qualm I had with this film was its pace. Some scenes, in an effort to come across as poetic, just dragged on a tad bit.

"Among all the people you know, how many really understand what's going on inside you?"

House of Hummingbird is a bleak but beautifully told story of a girl drowning in childhood neglect who learns how to live by and for herself as she is confronted with the true transience and fragility of the bridges that connect us with others. Set in 1994 Seoul, the film is a semi-autobiographical coming-of-age of both the director and her country.

The few melodramatic steps taken by the script are counterbalanced by how it avoids being overly cinematic; you forget you are watching a film. It's this distinction that spares it from a comparison to Eighth Grade. Where Bo Burnham crafted an expressive, modern, and quintessentially teenage coming-of-age, Bora Kim gives us a muted and nuanced story of an ageless soul coming to terms with a lonely existence. The nature of Eunhee's relationships with her Chinese teacher and one of her classmates bears a closer resemblance to Lost in Translation. While the themes of how we define family and fending for ourselves are both reminiscent of the 2018 Cannes darling Shoplifters.

At karaoke, Eunhee sings into the mic:

🎶 "Love is like glass. It shines so beautifully but breaks so easily. And how difficult it is now as I deal with the pieces..." 🎶

The sad notes of the film are hard-hitting, but like her teacher says when Eunhee asks about the residents protesting relocation, "Don't pity them. We don't really know their lives." And so are we reminded as such regarding the central character.

The film is framed from her perspective, letting us into this world only so far as Eunhee understands it. Free of stereotypes and cliches, the film takes us so far into the mental seclusion of adolescence, right to the home of internal angst--to the point where we are offended on behalf of Eunhee when someone says to her, "You only think about yourself..." It's only then we surface from the depths of her perspective.

House of Hummingbird is a true gem of a film. With the exception of an amateurish plot point written into the end, the film is perfect. Biggest surprise of the festival so far. .

House of Hummingbird is a movie I stumbled across one night and I just sat there mesmerized throughout its 2hr 18min run time. It has such a simple plotline (if you can even call it that), yet it engages you with character study, family drama, adolescent insecurities, loneliness and even grief.

It's a coming of age story about a teenage girl named Eunhee who is abused by her brother and shown little affection by her parents. She doesn't seem to have much interest in school as she sleeps in class without care. The closest people in her life are her best friend, a boyfriend and her teacher. The troubles and delights she shares with them are handled with such finesse that no incident ever seems forced or melodramatic.

Her life at home is filled with dysfunction. From her brother beating her for any form of disrespect to her parents fighting loudly right in front of their children. The way she reacts to events like this are not overt cries for attention, but are shown in her general personality or her simple day to day actions towards other people in her life. She deals with romance in the idealistic and sometimes naive views of the 14 year old girl she is. Whether she's getting in fights with her friend or dealing with being left by someone she's come to trust, she always reacts in such a realistic and sympathetic and human way.

A heartfelt drama taking place in the mid 90s, House of Hummingbird intertwines elements from its story to real life events that were big in South Korea like the death of Kim Il Sung and the Seongsu bridge collapse. This makes the characters feel even more real than the phenomenal acting and writing already does. It stands tall against other great coming of age works like Fish Tank, The Way Way Back, and Eight Grade. It's a shame that even though this South Korean movie also came out in 2019, Parasite recieved far more acclaim. I liked Parasite to an extent, but this film is much more worth your time.

The society pressures you to stay in the straight line. You need to be a good student. You should listen to your older siblings. Take beating as approved if you are just a daughter in a family. However, Life is not a straight line. This is a story about a teenager girl finding her way out of adventerous and sometimes confusing maze called life.

"If you could choose to work in a movie site "House of Hummingbird" or "Parasite", where would you choose? "

I asked this question to many of my movie lover friends. Be cause it was in a theater at same time and critics loved both movies. But "House of Hummingbird" was well-known for poor working conditions and on the other hand "Parasite" was well-known for good working conditions. First, most of my friends chose "Parasite" even though they liked the other more. However I added one more to the question. "If you don't work on the site of "House of Hummingbird, Movie might not be finished." Then most of my friends said they will work even with poor working conditions.

We, me and my friends who support the movie women's movie are very serious about showing ticket powers to movie companies. In Korea, It is real to see women directors in major movie scenes. I know most countries are having the same problem but we are taking this seriously. So the second condition I asked my friends was not only some of my mean characteristics to make friends in trouble but want to see my friends feel the same as me that they are prioritizing women's movies more than any other movies.

So, the movie is about a middle school student named Eun-hee. Her family doesn't show interest in her and even her brother hits her. Outside of her school and house she is more cheerful. She has a friend who is also a victim of violence and a boyfriend, nice to her, these two make her alive. One day, She meets a new teacher who is even polite to youth.

The movie is very quiet unlike the Oscar award movie. Even the romance is not sweet. But why my friends liked it was because it was about us. Most of us are not important in the family if there is a brother. And not like unrealistic fantasy high teen movies it makes us feel comfortable. If you are Korean movie lover you will know there are not many teenage movies in Korea. Because the older generation didn't think school life was important. Important thing is going to a good college. We don't think it's true. It is possible I want to make precious memories with friends and family and not be ignored by parents and teachers with my test score. The Movie was hard to watch, it was very real. Many people feel helpless and lonely on these days.

Yes, we want to see more movies that talk about us - Korean women- like something even if it is miserable and lonely.