This review was written for the Korean Cinema Blogathon hosted by cineawesome and New Korean Cinema!
Lee Yoon-ki’s latest feature Come Rain, Come Shine is based off of Japanese writer Areno Inoue’s short story The Cat that can Never Come Back. Continuing in the tradition of his fantastic My Dear Enemy and Ad Lib Night (both adapted from another Japanese writer, Asuko Taira’s material) nearly the entire film takes place over the course of a less than 24 hour time frame. Together the three films make a loose trilogy of sorts.
Come Rain, Come Shine opens with an uninterrupted long take (~10 minutes) of Hwang Ji-seok (Hyun Bin) driving his wife Young-shin (Lim Soo-jung) to the airport. After beginning with small talk, Young-shin announces that she is moving out of their house and breaking up with Ji-seok. The camera is non obtrusive, remaining static relative to the car and simply observing the two leads. Despite being clearly upset, Ji-seok does not react with an outburst of anger and his feeble attempts to convince Young-shin otherwise are easily deflected by Young-shin. Eventually his protests silence and the take culminates into longer and more extended periods of silence. The opening establishes the tone for the rest of the film, setting the somber and melancholy mood that will last for the entirety of the film. Lee reveals details in such a way that by the time the camera finally cuts away we have learned a great deal about both characters in a manner which feels wholly organic.
The rest of the film takes place over the last afternoon and evening that Young-shin spends in their house while she prepares the last of her things to move out. Having not read the source material, it’s impossible for me to say how closely Lee Yoon-ki’s version resembles Inoue’s original short, but what has become clear from Lee’s recent work is that he loves to apply his naturalistic style to the framework of simplistic stories. My Dear Enemy follows ex-lovers Jeon Do-yeon and Ha Jung-woo for a day as they attempt to collect the money that Jung-woo owes Do-yeon. While it sounds similar to the plot of Come Rain, Come Shine it ends up feeling remarkably different. My Dear Enemy has a road movie feel as the two leads travel around Seoul, visiting an eclectic set of locations throughout the film. Come Rain, Come Shine is much more static, using just a single set. Lee creates a strong, naturalistic atmosphere within the dimly lit, multi-story house, as heavy rain falls just outside effectively trapping the characters in one place for the duration of the film.
Over the course of the first half of the film, Lee’s camera observes as Young-shin packs the rest of her things, refusing the help of Ji-seok. Both husband and wife are stuck doing relatively mundane tasks, Ji-seok watching a soccer game and making coffee, Young-shin packing and reminiscing over the items that she comes across. They mainly interact cordially and Lee deftly reveals more information about their marriage and breakup. At one point, Young-shin becomes extremely upset and begins to hit the very solemn Ji-seok in order to get any sort of reaction. And in this moment, perhaps the film’s most dramatic, a kitten wanders into their large and modern house interrupting any sort of extended outburst we might witness. Originally planning on going out for dinner, the combination of the kitten and the torrential downpour outside force Ji-seok and Young-shin to spend the rest of the day at home. Eventually the neighboring couple comes looking for the kitten, and Ji-seok and Young-shin are forced to interact with complete strangers.
Lee favors long takes and an observational camera, giving the actors plenty of space to shine. Shots are well-thought out, dimly lit, and nicely-composed throughout, suiting the film’s understated style. One interesting stylistic flourish is the inter cutting between the gloomy house on the day of the breakup and a sunny day with natural light flooding in through the windows. While neither lead matches Jeon Do-yeon’s pitch perfect performance in My Dear Enemy (an impossible feat), both feel natural in their roles. Hyun Bin (famous from Korean TV series) is excellent and and gives an impressive performance as the calm and resigned Ji-seok. Im Soo-jung is also very good as the more emotionally frustrated Young-shin.
Come Rain, Come Shine’s Korean title is literally translated into I Love You, I Love You Not a title that undoubtedly would’ve mislead foreign audiences looking for a more traditional and less subdued melodrama. Lee Yoon-ki’s film received mixed reviews at the Berlin International Film Festival and was criticized as a bore, it’s extremely understated style likely frustrating viewers. That being said, if you are able to appreciate the muted, but expressive acting and strong atmosphere, Come Rain, Come Shineis a very rewarding and refreshing film.
My Rating: 4.5/5
