Direction: Bora Kim
Country: South Korea
Bora Kim writes and directs her first feature film, House of Hummingbird, with observant precision without ever losing sight of the main character’s feelings. Yet, the story, based on her own childhood memories and experiences, is told with agonizing restraint, becoming a little overlong while presenting a whole not quite equal to some of its parts.
In 1994 Seoul, 14-year-old Eun-hee (Ji-hu Park) tries to figure ways to repair the quotidian struggles that push her down as the environment at home is frequently stressful and both her friendships and amorous relationships marked by disappointment. There’s also a corrigible health problem and an impeding pressure for the grades that would take her to the coveted Seoul University. Feeling no support, she finally finds the attention she deserves when a perceptive new teacher, Yong-ji (Sae-byeok Kim), shows availability, giving her a rare chance to open up.
Ms. Kim refuses to play the melodrama and deserves an extra point for that, but the film lacks that emotional punch in the story and nuance in the characters that would have grabbed me in a different way. The most praiseworthy aspect here is Park’s assured performance, which helps to put an honest touch in the proceedings. While attempting to find her own space, Eun-hee is not afraid to give a step forward and probe alternative directions that could bring her less suffering. And that, by itself, is laudable.
