SEOUL, Feb. 15 (Yonhap) -- If your partner or spouse told you they are leaving because they love someone else, what would you do?
Beg them in tears to stay? Respond in anger? Or simply give up and let them go?
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Lee Yoon-ki (R), director of "Come Rain, Come Shine," poses with Hyun Bin (L) and Lim Soo-jung, who both star in the movie, at a media preview event in Seoul on Feb. 14. (Yonhap) |
"Come Rain, Come Shine" directed by Lee Yoon-ki deals with one couple's response to the complex situation. The movie takes us through every move and emotion of the couple on the verge of divorce over a three-hour span.
The man (Hyun Bin) has been married to his wife (Lim Soo-jung) for five years. (Their names are never mentioned.) He's a handy architect and a good husband. He cooks her pasta and brews her coffee just the way she likes. But he is also fainthearted and timid, and can't seem to tell his wife "No."
The first 10 minutes set the story in motion. On the way to the airport, she tells him she wants to leave him for her boyfriend. All he can muster is "Oh, I see."
Then we're brought forward 72 hours to the day of their separation. The wife is back from her business trip and the heart of the movie unfolds.
On an overcast, rainy day, the man continues to treat his wife with the utmost devotion. He makes her coffee, reserves a table at a restaurant she likes, and boxes up plates and cups for her.
The woman is filled with anger at his behavior in light of the situation. She recalls past memories with him and their familiar silences. When he continues to give passive responses such as "I'm OK" and "Never mind," she snaps and screams, "Is everything really OK, even though your wife is cheating on you?"
But the husband is coping in his own way.
He replies, "I know I can't change your mind. You made a decision and nobody can change it. That's all."
"The movie is about a man and woman who are kept in a space where they have been for five years. They still love each other but are on the verge of divorce," said director Lee Yoon-ki. "Desolation can be felt in the house."
But the sorrowful parting is also sweet because they are already thinking about the next chapter and significant other in their lives.
"I inserted scenes of a day that the rain stops, even though it is still raining in the movie throughout," said Lee. "I try to suggest that a bright future is awaiting the man. He is not always sad."
The film mainly unfolds through lengthy scenes, which are much longer than conventional editing, with some lasting for up to 10 minutes. Due to the pace and lack of special effects, acting is needed to carry the movie.
Yet, Hyun and Lee, two of South Korea's top actors and actresses, don't deliver, as their facial expressions and eyes don't convey their feelings and emotions well enough.
"Come Rain, Come Shine" is competing for the Gold Bear Award, the honor of the best film, at the ongoing 61st International Berlin Film Festival.
Produced by Bom Film Production and distributed by Next Entertainment World, Lee's fifth movie is set for a cinema release on March 3.
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brk@yna.co.kr
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