The Two Worlds of Seong-nam

At 145 minutes, South Korea’s Day and Night (Bam gua nat) is longer than need be. At first the film seems new and different, unlike anything I’ve seen before from Hollywood. It is a true coming of age story except, the main character, Seong-nam, is in his 40’s.

Derek Elley of “Variety” says the film has a “theme of the emotional lies people tell themselves and others is not new in Hong's work, but he recycles it skillfully here with a well-cast team of players.” When I look back at seeing it, I realize that he is right. The characters come up with excuses for themselves, to ease the pain they are feeling. They don’t look ahead, but rather stay in the present. Seong-nam doesn’t hesitate in his love for Yu-jeong, despite his marriage back home. He creates a wall between who he is in Paris and who he is in Seoul. He talks to his wife every night, but doesn’t show remorse for his affair. He tells himself lies to justify his actions, lies he doesn’t realize he’s telling.

Seong-nam finds some truth in himself when he dreams of Yu-jeong and their life together, twice. The first time, it is hard to separate the dream and the reality of the film. Hong Sang- soo makes the audience feel like its really happening, then clues in the following scenes elude to the events being a dream. The same happens in the end of the film. Seong-nam dreams once again of Yo-jeong, this time he is married to her and they are back in South Korea. At first, I, along with a few other audience members, were confused as to what was going on. This time, Hong Sang-soo uses one of Seong-nam’s paintings (one of few seen throughout the film) of clouds in the sky to hint at the events not being real.

Elley believes that by the 80-minute mark, the film loses “it’s original freshness”. I couldn’t agree more. A film that I had liked turned into a film that was never going to end, and when it did, how was it going to end? At least there was freshness in that.



Word Study: Anti-hero

–noun, plural -roes.
a protagonist who lacks the attributes that make a heroic figure, as nobility of mind and spirit, a life or attitude marked by action or purpose, and the like.