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Giuca

Lost in the Cloud....

Giuca

Lost in the Cloud....
The Table korean movie review
Completed
The Table
0 people found this review helpful
by Giuca
Aug 16, 2023
Completed
Overall 7.5
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 3.5
Rewatch Value 5.5
This review may contain spoilers

A day in the life of...a coffee shop table!

An oval table in a small coffee shop in a quiet part of the city. A tiny vase with three small flowers decorate it.

This is the backdrop of this omnibus movie which tells the stories of this particular moment in the lives of four women. They have arranged meetings and have chosen this table because it was the only one with flowers on it. We find out the reasons behind these meetings but do not know what happened afterward
The first to come is a famous actress meeting her old boyfriend frow way back when. The conversation is stilted, they are obviously uncomfortable and he keeps asking her if the rumors going around about her are true and not believing her. He is impressed by her success but is jealous at the same time and is trying to find a way to bring her down. She's very much aware of it and after a few minutes leaves politely but very certain never to see him again.
Cautionary tale of never looking up the past, you are bound to be disappointed when you see the true face of the people you were so much in love with ages ago. Let the past stay in the past.

The second woman to come to the coffee shop was invited by a man she met months ago. After a one night stand, he left to go travelling the world: India and Europe. She did not really want to see him again but he had left his watch in her place so she wants to return it. Again, the conversation is stilted while she incredulously looks at him saying nonsense about his travels. Suddenly he takes out a present he bought for her in Europe. And another one and another one.... She realizes their one night stand had left a lasting impression on him and that he actually wants to get to know her better. They leave together!
This story is a love story in the making. The actors were cute and we could see the changes in the woman's face as she realizes that he actually never forgot her. Very subtle and sweet: she starts off very guarded, suspicious and on a defensive but melts as the story progresses.

The third encounter is between a woman organizing her own fake wedding and a fake wedding planner. As they talk about the people they need to hire to pretend to be her family and friends we discover that she is actually a swindler who fell in love. The wedding organizer works on the edges of illegality and has regrets because this job has prevented her from attending her own daughter's wedding. She offers to play the bride's mother in order to feel, even if it is fake, what it is like to be at one's own child's wedding. The bride, behind her strict and professional cool exterior hides a person changed by love who dares not hope for a happy future. Still she tries! This is a poignant story of missed chances and bad decisions which ruin lives.

The coffee shop's closing hour sees the encounter between an older woman about to get married and an ex boyfriend. She offers him to spend the last night together. The feelings linger heavy in the air, he is sorely tempted to accept and she is aware of it so she keeps pushing. But he manages to resist the temptation sensing it would be so wrong to succumb. They have strong feelings for each other and the reason they broke up is not really evident but since she is apparently getting married to a rich guy....To be or not to be tempted? Did they make the right decision about their lives? Are they going to keep living with regrets or their story is well and truly over?

The movie focuses on women and their emotions and it shows them to be strong, intelligent and responsible, open minded and reasonable. The men in these stories are just the sounding boards for the women to make decisions about their own lives.
The actors are all excellent. The cinematography is soft, pretty and mostly in muted tones. The way we follow the life of the flowers on the table is so symbolic of the events happening around it. The flowers wilt slowly until they are picked apart by the man in the last story to the chagrin of the woman.

I am a fan of omnibus movies. This one was interesting, very slow burn and rather static: just people sitting and talking. The only person really moving around was the coffee shop owner serving coffee and clearing the table. It is not a very long movie or particularly exciting for that matter but it is rather for the people who enjoy the kind of a movie where everything happens through conversation.
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