simply beautiful
as the title indicates, it's about a connection and attraction.a cute love story and a lot of eye candy, great cinematography. the male leads have good chemistry, the japanese guy is adorable ,looking like a lost puppy.
i found myself wanting more of their story, it felt so short. i recommend ^^
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Unbelievable
This movie is unbelievable—and I don’t mean that in a good way, but rather as unrealistic and absurd. It is best described as a parody of gangster films, and the entire plot feels more like an introduction to a story than a fully developed feature. But despite its flaws, the movie has many good elements. First of all, it is short, so it can serve as decent entertainment during a boring evening. It took me a while to get used to the nature of the comedy, but once I accepted that it is silly, I started to enjoy it more and more. By the end, I even laughed out loud at a few gags.The actors are very solid. They handled the action scenes very well and truly committed to their characters. It was great seeing them during the post-credits scene as a small behind-the-scenes preview—especially since they are almost all legends of Korean cinema, each with over 50 roles in different movies. For me personally, that was the most enjoyable part of the film: seeing so many familiar faces together.
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Beautiful
What a beautiful parallel drama. I loved the story, you don't see many storylines like this one.It was very wel executed, and the actors all did a great job. The chemistry between the mains was great!
It had beautiful visuals and the music was very beautiful too.
A real must watch! I will watch this again in the future.
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This review may contain spoilers
Black River aka Kuroi Kawa reminded me of one of my least favorite Kurosawa Akira films, The Lower Depths. Like Lower Depths, this film is centered in a decaying tenement filled with unlikeable people. The underlying theme of the society decaying as well after WWII became lost for me in the toxic “love” triangle and reprehensible view of women. Please forgive me if I change up my normal review style for diary writings of the main characters. Warning-A disturbing event that happens early in the film is mentioned.Dear Diary,
I recently moved into a slum with a cranky landlady. She’s probably that way because only one tenant pays the rent. The local communist tries to talk the tenants into paying their fair share of the electricity bill and poop removal, but no one seems very interested in it. I just want to be left alone with my books while I’m studying civil engineering. Holes in the wall and nosy neighbors make it difficult. The house husband next door constantly bothers me. His wife works at a “salon” and is always coming onto me in her slip. I think she might be a prostitute. In fact, most of the women wander around in their slips and are either hitting on me or watching others have sex through the holes in the walls. Thinking I might be living in a house full of perverts. I have fallen in love with a beautiful waitress who picked up one of my books that had fallen in the street. New entry-she ditched a date we had for her to “borrow” some books to hook up with the local gang leader, Joe the Killer. Heartbroken, will continue to focus on my studies. Believe one of my pervy neighbors is stealing my things.—Nishida Kenzo
Dear Diary,
Work as a waitress is going well. I take the same route every day with my parasol. I picked up a book a fellow dropped and kismet! I think I’m completely in love. I have a date to “borrow” more books. Latest development-last night on my way to see the student, I was roughly kidnapped by a group of men. Another man beat them off and saved me! Then he threw me on the ground, declared his love for me, and brutally raped me. I, of course, went to him the next day and demanded he marry me. Joe the Killer laughed at me. Guess I’m stuck with this loser after losing my virginity to him. What a ridiculous name for a gangster, must get him to change it. Maybe Joe the Delusional Rapist? Will play the part of a tart and dress more seductively. I should leave him but I am strangely attracted to his brand of violent affection…Think I will write a love letter to that book nerd to keep my options open. Love, Shizuko
Dear Diary,
Things are going my way. Have talked the crooked landlady into hiring me to drive out her tenants so that we and my business partner can build a “Love Hotel.” Last night I wooed the good girl in town and convinced her that violence is how I show affection. Women are so stupid. I also take particular delight in tormenting her and that idiot student she loves. Everything is great! Yay me! –Joe the Killer
Black River had some important insights into life after WWII outside an American military base that became uselessly bogged down in the “love” triangle. Rape as foreplay will never sit well with me. Despite strong performances from Nakadai Tatsuya and Arima Ineko and a somewhat satisfying ending, the whole triangle premise left a bad misogynistic taste in my mouth.
1 February 2026
Trigger warnings: Implied rape and sexual situations though nothing shown. Physical abuse of women which was shown.
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1Anxiety as a genre, complicity as the message.
Shamelessly bizarre. And that’s why I love it. One of the reasons horror is my favorite genre is the fact there are no real limits in storytelling and presentation. You are only limited by your own imagination. With years of cinema, all stories have been told one way or another, so I truly believe now it’s less about what you say, but how you say it. And Best Regards to All goes with a bang. Full of uneasy shots that make you want to look away, but also glue your eyes to the screen - not relying on cheap jumpscares. It’s less about feeling scared, and more about feeling anxious and uncomfortable.With all that creepiness, it still presents a rather solid, yet horrifying message of generational and social exploitation with a grim outlook on life and happiness. But what’s most important - how much suffering of others we can ignore to keep the illusion of normalcy and peacefulness in our own life. Especially relevant in the current global climate. If you came out of this movie assuming you are not part of the problem, you are in denial.
Be it visually or in terms of themes presented, it’s frustrating, unnerving and uncomfortable to watch. Yes, I am perfectly aware I keep overusing the word “uncomfortable”, but that’s the perfect word to describe the movie. It makes you confront things you rather ignore.
For the acting, Furukawa Kotone ate the role. The whole slow and painful journey to self-realization was presented in a perfect manner. The will to fight what she thought to be unjust tradition, the denial of what’s truly going on, the fear of creeping consequences, the resignation when faced with what she thought in unreasonable pushback. From opening to closing shot - perfect.
In terms of production and directing, some practical make up could have been better, especially around the eyes - it would not work in reality as they presented on screen and somehow I could not let that thought go. Except for that tiny detail, it was great - the blood and wounds looked real and that’s all one can ask for from horror movies. I also appreciated well placed and timed repetitiveness of the shots in different time points and contexts.
Overall, it’s just my type of fucked up shit.
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This review may contain spoilers
Soulmate sat on my watchlist for the longest time, and honestly, my only regret is not watching it sooner. This movie didn’t just make me cry, it made me cry warm tears, the kind that hurt but also feel comforting. Plot*
The story follows two girls, Mi-so and Ha-eun, who couldn’t be more different. They meet as children when Mi-so moves to Jeju Island, and somehow, despite being complete opposites, they become inseparable. Their bond is so strong that when Mi-so’s mother decides to leave Jeju, Mi-so chooses to stay behind and live with Ha-eun’s family. From that point on, they’re no longer just friends, they’re sisters.
As they grow up, Ha-eun starts dating a boy who slowly becomes part of their little world, turning the trio into something like the “three musketeers.” But cracks begin to form when it becomes clear that Ha-eun’s boyfriend is more drawn to Mi-so. The moment Mi-so realizes this, she makes a quiet but life-altering decision: she leaves Jeju to follow her dreams, leaving Ha-eun behind with promises of letters and stories.
Spoilers ahead *
But Soulmate is so much deeper than its plot. At its core, this is a story about love and letting go about choosing pain for yourself if it means protecting the person you love.
When Mi-so moves to Seoul, her life is harsh and unstable. She takes on exhausting, jobs just to survive, her life is anything but confortable. But in the letters she sends Ha-eun, she hides all of that. Instead, she tells stories of adventure, traveling through Europe, seeing the places they once dreamed of together. On paper, her life is magical and free. In reality, it’s lonely and brutal. And she carries that burden alone, because she doesn’t want Ha-eun to worry.
Meanwhile, Ha-eun stays in Jeju. She gives up her dream of painting, becomes a teacher, and eventually agrees to marry her childhood boyfriend. But as her life moves forward, something feels deeply wrong. She slowly realizes a painful truth: no one has ever loved her the way Mi-so did. Mi-so wasn’t just her best friend, she was the only person who truly saw her, believed in her, and wanted nothing but the best for her.
That realization changes everything.
Ha-eun leaves her wedding behind and moves to Seoul, following the life Mi-so once lived. She rents the same apartment Mi-so narrated in her letters and finally pursues painting. For nine months, she devotes herself entirely to her art, drawing the person she loved most, the person who understood her better than anyone else.
One of the most heartbreaking moments for me is when Ha-eun, after revealing her pregnancy, turns to Mi-so and offers her a family: the two of them, together, with the baby. That scene alone destroyed me.
The ending*
The film gives us two endings, one imagined, one real. In one version, Ha-eun gives birth, leaves the baby with Mi-so, and travels the world, finally free, just like in Mi-So's letters. Mi-so raises the child and names her Ha-eun.
In the other, we learn the truth: Ha-eun died, and Mi-so chose to keep her alive through stories. And suddenly, everything clicks. Ha-eun never traveled not physically She finishes Ha-eun’s paintings and exhibits her work, making sure the world sees her talent. But what broke me most is the choice Mi-so makes afterward: she keeps Ha-eun’s death a secret. To Jin-woo. To the gallery. To the world. Instead, she tells everyone that Ha-eun is traveling, living freely somewhere far away. Mi-so gives her the freedom she never had. She lets her rest inside a dream instead of a grave.
And that’s when I understood what this movie was really about.
This isn’t a romantic love story. It’s not about choosing someone over another person. It’s about choosing love over truth, kindness over closure. It’s about loving someone so deeply that you carry their dreams for them when they no longer can.
A lot of people frame Mi-so and Ha-eun’s relationship as romantic, but to me, it’s something purer and harder to define. They are soulmates in the truest sense, two people who shaped each other, who saw each other fully, who wanted nothing but the other’s happiness. Soulmates aren’t always lovers. Sometimes they are friends. Sometimes they are sisters. Sometimes they are the one person who understands you when no one else ever will.
To love someone isn’t to possess them.
To love someone is to step back.
To love someone is to make the hardest choices so they can be happy.
To love someone is to let go.
Mi-so left when she realized her presence could hurt Ha-eun. She endured loneliness, poverty, and silence to protect her. And when Ha-eun was gone, Mi-so loved her enough to let her live on, in stories, in art, in movement.
This movie shattered me. It felt like a long, quiet love letter written in grief. The cinematography, especially the Jeju Island scenery only deepened that sense of longing and nostalgia. Everything felt soft, distant, and aching, like a memory you don’t want to let fade.
I don’t think I’ll ever fully get over Soulmate.
It didn’t just make me sad it made me reflect on the people who have shaped my life, the ones who loved me quietly, and the ones I would choose again, in any lifetime.
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This review may contain spoilers
It's the small things that will fill your heart
It's the sum of all parts that makes this movie enjoyable. Just like a Bento, you should judge it on how each small parts make the entire meal enjoyable.This movie began, to be honest I didn't feel like it was going to be very good. Thankfully the movie shifts gears about 40 mins in and after that point it becomes a really watchable movie. After we are introduced to Kaori and Futaba, you kind of feel like the acting isn't really strong. It feels a little too slapstick or really daytime drama amateurish. Futaba was a hard sell for me to begin with. But as the movie progressed she began showing layers in her character. Kaori also was the same. I didn't quite know what Kaori's feelings were. They made sense on paper but I didn't get that till after that gear change.
The movie felt like it didn't know what genre it was trying to be at first. There was also internal monologuing that threw off the movie's tempo. Because the movie shifted points of views in the first half between the two leads but it wasn't consistent with presentation. It made sense why they did it that way story wise but it made the flow awkward in my opinion.
One beautiful aspect about this movie is it's color palette. It's a very bright cheerful movie with tons of character. Everything from clothing choices to the house with a face, it was very vibrant. The Bento's being the focus helped bring out a lot of fun. The little animations that came with the Bento's and the explanations were very cute. Seeing Futaba's emotions over time really set you up for those final Bento reveals.
I really loved how they ended the movie on a letter calling back to their childhood. Their relationship was fraught with miscommunication and distance but it wasn't lost. Communication is a strong topic in Japanese movies I find because their society is so bad at trying to express themselves to each other through words. That's what's really endearing about this movie. There's a beauty in understanding each other through only food.
Wakaba was also a secret Ace in this movie. She provided so much background support to her family. My heart went out to her when she told Kaori she didn't know how to handle Futaba's crying. I liked how she was so mature and understanding.
I don't know what the point of the single father storyline was. I'm going to guess it was supposed to be emotional support but it was executed poorly. It looks like they tried to provide some sort of mirror to Kaori so she could see where she went wrong? Like I don't know, it was very unclear.
I also feel like it fell off a steep cliffs after a certain point in the movie. There is a special after credit scene finishing up the story but it was too late. Completely forgot about him by the end.
The soundtrack was fun and engaging. When those violins needed to come in to hit that vibe, they did so. The ending theme was bright and cheerful.
General cinematography was fine. But there were some baffling scene cuts. Like at one point it randomly cut to a loom. Sometimes people talking would trail off into oddly placed scenes. There were some nice scenic shots being part of a Island setting.
Overall good movie though!Lots of micro tears for me. This one will definately hit harder depending on how you view your relationship with your parents.
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Don't watch this if you're the eldest. you will cry for sure.
I cried so much after watching this movie. the last time I remember crying over a movie was " the micrale in cell no.7 ".This movie is a tearjerker for all those siblings and specially for the eldest one.
Story was not too good , I must say. but the acting and being an eldest sibling in my family made me cry towards the end of the movie. If you want a romantic movie, don't choose this. the romance part only covers 1% of the movie. I genuinely thing more of romance can be cohabitated towards the brother and lover part. but as a whole this movie shows a very good brother-sister bond.
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The first half was engaging, but...
I read some reviews so I partially knew what the movie would be about before I started watching it. That's probably why I didn't have too many expectations for it.The first half was engaging, but after the plot twist, it became predictable. Each subsequent simulation was no longer exciting. Of course, I understand what the creators might have had in mind and what they wanted to show, but I think this film doesn't capture it best.
Even Da Mi's great acting couldn't save this movie for me. But I don't mind the ending and I don't understand the difficulty in understanding this story. But I guess that also indicates poor execution.
It's not a bad movie, but it's not one of the best either. Even though I didn't have high expectations, I'm still a bit disappointed.
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Watch the Prequel First
I stumbled across the prequel "Everyone is a Freaking Idiot" [listed as "Everyone is a Stupid" on MDL], a short but impactful film. In my opinion, any viewer of this film must watch the prequel first for essential context.This film centres on the relationship between the two boys from the prequel, Sosuke and Satoru, one year on. We are introduced to Haruka, another student from their earlier school days. All three strive to be better people, despite being tormented in one way or another. The hurt they feel seems to have no outlet, though, and they struggle to find their footing.
Both films are very low-budget, but very well-directed and acted. The story may seem slow, but, in fact, is very tight. Nothing feels extraneous here. Yes, there is some awful camera shaking at one point, but it is only mildly distracting. The music fits and isn't intrusive.
Both these films tugged at my heartstrings, and I could not look away. Both are well worth the time spent watching.
[With special thanks to the fansubber who made both films available to international audiences.]
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This review may contain spoilers
Underrated gem from Tsukamoto Shinya; one of his finest!
It's a pity this movie is so underrated, because it is such an amazing combination of psychological + horror + fantasy.The atmosphere draws you in instantly, with the way the characters look pale / sickly / inhuman, the almost dream-like cinematography, the haunting score, the darker night shots with a silence that leaves the viewer with a looming sense of dread that is to come..
At it's core, the story is simple. Two twins born into a rich household; one was abandoned due to a scar, and the other kept. Due to different circumstances, both grow up differently. The rich twin grows up gentle, with a prejudice against people from the slums. The poor twin grows up in the slums, using theft and murder as a means to survive. His life leads him to Rin, our female lead. They have a passionate relationship, and one day, the poor twin goes away promising to return. She is met with an ill-fate where she is almost raped and she burns the rapist's house as a result. She goes to the river to clean herself and the rich twin finds her in a naked state. He falls in love with her at first sight. Unknown to her, she assumes the poor twin is back. But soon she realises he is not the same man. She falls in love with the gentle demeanour of the rich twin, fakes amnesia and marries him. Soon after, the poor twin returns and locates the house that abandoned him. He vows revenge, but is filled with further hatred and jealousy when he witnesses his lover happy with his twin. He watches them and observes them. He then slowly kills his parents, and subsequently traps the rich twin in the well, and takes on his identity. He makes love passionately to the FL who then grows suspicious that this is the poor twin who has returned. She questions him about it, but he constantly dismisses her claims, and finally as proof, she strips his pants and notices he doesn't have the scar (she imprinted on him in the slums) and is led to believe that he is indeed the doctor. She is thrown into deep turmoil. After that confrontation, he goes to the well and realises the other twin has disappeared. One twin is killed, the other survives, and goes on to have 2 babies with the FL.
The question remains unanswered - who actually survived? Could be either.
It could be the rich twin who survived because there is a look of horror on his face after he kills the other twin. There's a realisation that he became the exact animal he despised.
But the ending scene with the man calling the twin an arrogant bastard, his face turns to horror as he watches him- as though he is aware that this isn't the doctor.
But that answer is not key.
Our director never dilly-dallies and cuts straight to the plot, and delivers in every frame. It isn't just the frames or the score, or the cinematography. Even the dialogue and themes he explores is rather thought provoking.
(1) People from the low class slums are presented and viewed as dirty, as inhuman. The doctor and his family have a clear prejudice against them. But what is interesting is that Tsukamoto Shinya depicts how regardless of that difference, both men brought up in very different classes have a desire and are capable of loving. Both are jealous; the rich twin despite being at the brink of death is occupied by the thought of his wife sleeping with another man. The poor twin despite wanting revenge and feeling betrayal, is consumed by the idea of his lover and another man sleeping together such that he devours her body the moment he takes on the identity.
(2) Animalistic behaviour of men; when it comes to survival, we become animals, and that's when we realise we are all cut from the same cloth. Both twins grew up in different circumstances, but are not very different when it boiled down to survival.
(3) The mental state of a woman torn between her ex and her husband - The FL really delivers a fantastic performance here in showing us her turmoil. Can she be blamed for the choices she made? No.
It's interesting how she recognises that this isn't her doctor husband through the act of sex. She notes that this man is more passionate, and doesn't finish in a minute, further highlighting how the doctor though taken in with her clearly couldn't give in to her fully because he wasn't aware of her identity, while this poor twin knowing fully well that she betrayed him, wants her entirely. There's a shot where he slides in his face under her arm (which is the poster for this film) and it's a very interesting frame - like he's conjoined to her and can't be taken away from her. That does make me wonder at the end - could he have died and have possessed the kind doctor?
There's probably a lot more that I want to write, but I'll leave it here for now.
All in all, this is a film worth watching. Despite being made in 1999, it is exceptionally filmed, and written. Highly highly recommend it!
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This review may contain spoilers
I have to admit, I was skeptical going into this movie because I’m not a fan of student-teacher romance storylines. But somehow, this one managed to feel painfully romantic. Maybe it’s the cinematography, maybe it’s the way everything looks almost unreal, like a dream—you can forgive a lot when it’s that cinematic. But… is it really okay? That’s the question that lingered the whole time I was watching.Plot*
17-year-old Rio is a high school student who is always the center of attention thanks to her beauty. Because of her traumatic past, she’s learned to care only about herself. Friends and boyfriends exist mainly for her amusement or gain, and she’s focused on money and fun above all else. One day, Rio takes some photos to develop and is handed the wrong envelope. Inside, she finds pictures of a man and falls for him at first sight. Determined to find him, she begins stalking him, unaware that he has been diagnosed with cancer, and the photos are essentially his death portraits. From there, the story follows Rio pursuing him while he tries to keep her at a distance.
Controversy / Thoughts:
Here’s where the movie gets complicated. Rio’s behavior can feel disturbing, she pushes and chases, sometimes aggressively, and the story romanticizes it. Her lifestyle, dating older men, living extravagantly in Louis Vuitton, is glamorized in a way that feels unrealistic and morally grey. And yes, Kouki’s illness is used to soften the situation, but it doesn’t fully justify the age gap or the way her behavior is romanticized. Watching it, I constantly wrestled with these feelings: part of me cringed, part of me couldn’t look away.
And yet… despite all that, I found myself genuinely invested. Rio’s persistence, her raw emotions, the way the cinematography captures her and Kouki, it’s hard not to get swept up in it. The movie makes you feel her heartbreak, her obsession, her hope. I hated that I was enjoying it at times, but I couldn’t help it. There’s an undeniable emotional pull here. I found myself rooting for her, for him, for them, even when logic screamed that none of this should feel romantic.
One of the things that struck me most is how exaggerated and unrealistic Rio’s life is! her sugar baby lifestyle, her outfits, the extravagance of her world. But instead of feeling shallow, it adds a certain energy to the movie. It makes her character fascinating to watch and gives the film almost dreamlike quality. Watching Rio navigate her obsession, her heartbreak, and the consequences of her choices made me reflect on the way movies can make impossible or uncomfortable things feel emotionally real.
In the end, I can’t fully say this movie is “okay” in terms of ethics or realism. But as a story, as an emotional experience, it works in a way I didn’t expect. It made me feel conflicted, moved, and strangely connected to characters I probably shouldn’t have. I disliked parts of it, and yet, I can’t deny how much it stayed with me.
This is one of those movies that will make you question what you feel and why you feel it, and somehow, that makes it unforgettable.
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This review may contain spoilers
A sequel that messed up a non-existent story
I watched this literally immediately after watching the first movie, and if you've read my review for that one, you may recall that I'm watching them to scare myself more. And that I wasn't quite satisfied with the story aspect of the movie. Well let me pivot! Because I didn't know having a story could disappoint me this much.As far as the scare factor goes - this was okay. A few good jumpscares, if you watch it with the volume up, definitely very scary. And once again, too much gore for me (why?), but not the scariest thing out there.
The story - too bad because there's too much and not enough at the same time! All I wanted was an ounce of explanation, but this was absolutely nothing. It was like watching two different movies and I only liked one.
The first half of the movie is a cross between horror and adventure with Yak venturing into a haunted forest to battle his ghosts, and I mean that literally. It felt like a way for them to just inflict a bunch of on-screen hauntings and killings for the sake of the shock factor but.. it didn't do the intended job. Because to be shocking, you need some emotional connection to the characters and all of the new characters were people who were on-screen for a combined screentime of maybe half an hour. This was the backstory that I so desperately wanted after the first movie, but it went off on an unknown tangent, introducing new characters and not providing context for old ones. And the worst part? It had almost no connection to the second half.
The second half was much better. I would've preferred this be the entire movie because it focused on the family and their struggle not only with the evil spirit but their past experience. It had great flow, the characterization actually felt on point, too bad it lasted around 45 minutes in total. Because again, I know this is based on a novel, based on real events, but I think when you're making a movie you can tell those events in a more coherent manner? It was such a strange and fragmented experience, going from a really almost unnecessary and boring first half to a good second half.
This was okay. I think the first one was much better and I don't know what the story will be in movie three, but this was just okay.
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Unexpected Gem
The thing about The Merciless is that, on paper, it’s a story I’ve seen many times before. Prison hierarchies, power games, loyalty, betrayal, none of this is new to me. And yet, while watching it, I never once felt bored or disconnected. That’s because this movie lives and breathes through its actors.Siwan and Sul Kyung-gu completely carry this film on their shoulders. Their performances are so powerful that they make the story feel brand new, even when the structure is familiar. This is one of those movies that reminded me why acting matters so much. A good plot is important, but great acting can transform everything.
Sul Kyung-gu, especially, was the heart of the movie for me. From the moment he appeared on screen, there was something magnetic about his character. I found myself wanting to protect him, to save him at all costs, even when I wasn’t sure he deserved it. That emotional pull didn’t come from the script, it came from the way he inhabited the role. He was the movie.
The chemistry between him and Siwan is another reason the story works so well. Their dynamic feels tense, layered, and constantly shifting. Add to that the endless twists, and suddenly a familiar plot becomes gripping again. I genuinely didn’t expect to be this invested.
Plot*
Story-wise, we follow Jae-ho and Hyun-su, who meet while both are behind bars. At first, Jae-ho presents himself as a protective, almost fatherly figure. He seems amused by Hyun-su’s fearless bravado. They soon form brotherly type relationship. Jae-ho controls the cigarette trade in prison, and as the film moves back and forth in time, we slowly learn the brutal path that led him there.
What also really stood out to me was the cinematography and camera work. The film has that raw, early-2000s energy before everything became too polished and Netflix-clean. The camera moves with intention, often making you feel like you’re standing right there with the characters. Combined with the performances, it creates an immersive experience that pulls you in completely.
In the end, The Merciless reminded me that even a familiar story can feel new when it’s told with conviction. It’s not perfect, and it doesn’t reinvent the genre, but the acting, chemistry, and atmosphere make it absolutely worth the watch. This is one of those films that stays with you, not because of what it says, but because of how it feels.
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"I'm asking you because I know nothing"
Itchan and Satchan was a short film focusing on two adult sisters as they prepare their grandmother’s house for renovations. Boxing up a lifetime of belongings is time consuming, especially when rounds of “Red Light, Green Light” have to be played as childhood memories come to the fore.Single, pregnant Itchan and her married sister Satchan are faced with the task of boxing up their grandmother’s belongings. Though the reason is that renovations on the house will soon begin, they don’t believe their grandmother will ever return home. As the two sort out toys and dishware, memories are unearthed as well.
Sorting through a family member’s things is nearly always a daunting task. What to keep, pack, give away, or throw away? Each item is imbued with a past and the feelings associated with it. A toy starter gun, a flickering ball, a marble, and a hula hoop, all cause the packing to halt. For a while the sisters were transported back to their past when life seemed simpler and they were closer. Adulthood magnified their differences and the distance between them. Background noises echoed the sisters’ exchanges-children’s laughter, howling wind, and the scraping of a marble rolling along the uneven floor.
Itchan and Satchan was a tiny slice of life between two women largely avoiding the task at hand and unsure of how to bridge the gap between them. The sisters packed up belongings filled with warm memories and unpacked grievances that had been hidden, but not forgotten. Heavy on symbolism and silences, this film could have used a few more honest conversations or maybe I just wanted to learn more about their lives. Worth giving a try if you like slice of life.
30 January 2026
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