Nora and Hae Sung, two childhood friends, are reunited in New York for one fateful week as they confront notions of destiny, love, and the choices that make a life.
Greta Lee
Nora
Teo Yoo
Hae Sung
John Magaro
Arthur
Moon Seung-ah
Young Nora
Yim Seung-min
Young Hae Sung
Yoon Ji-hye
Nora's Mom
Choi Won-young
Nora's Dad
An Min-young
Hae Sung's Mom
Seo Yeon-woo
Young Si Young
Chang Ki-ha
Hae Sung's Friend 1
Shin Hee-cheol
Hae Sung's Friend 2
Park Jun-hyuk
Hae Sung's Friend 3
Jack Alberts
CBP Officer
Jane Yubin Kim
Actress
Song Noo-ri
Na Young's Childhood Friend 1
Jin Si-ah
Na Young's Childhood Friend 2
Choi Yoon-seo
Na Young's Childhood Friend 3
Hwang Seung-eon
Hae Sung's Girlfriend
Jojo T. Gibbs
Janice
Emily Cass McDonnell
Rachel
Federico Rodriguez
Robert
Conrad Schott
Peter
Kristen Sieh
Heather
Oge Agulué
Ferry Line Security Guard
Chase Sui Wonders
Girl (voice)
Isaac Powell
Guy (voice)
Director, Screenplay
Celine Song
June 10, 2023
4
As the son of parents who were childhood sweethearts/soul mates, I tend to be a sucker for movie romances that address this subject. In this case, however, the only “sucker” aspect applies to the money I plunked down to watch this two-hour snoozefest. Writer-director Celine Song’s debut feature has been praised as a masterful piece of filmmaking and one of the best pictures of 2023, but I heartily beg to disagree. When a pair of young, tightly knit Korean friends, Nora (Greta Lee) and Hae Sung (Teo Yoo), part ways from their native Seoul and are later reunited in New York after a 24-year separation, the reunion of these childhood pals provides them with an opportunity to reflect on what might have been. However, their time together consists mostly of a series of overly bloated pregnant pauses, inane dialogue and missed chances to discuss much of anything meaningful, the kinds of scenes that make even the most patient viewers want to yell “Get on with it already!” These “conversations” come nowhere close to matching their joy of their spirited youthful interactions or the heartfelt, substantive talks that later take place between Nora and her husband, Arthur (John Magaro). The result is, quite frankly, a big fat bore that’s trying to be more than it is but never achieves that outcome. Perhaps the biggest problem with this is the film’s truly sincere but decidedly paper thin narrative that doesn’t have the writing support to bring it all into beautiful full bloom, despite some fine performances, exquisite cinematography and an emotive background score. From this, the director would appear to have a hefty reserve of potential stashed away, at least based on this offering’s stylistic elements, but the substance could use some definite shoring up. Let’s hope her next effort lives up to that.
Status:
Released
Original Language:
English
Budget:
$12,000,000.00
Revenue:
$28,126,646.00