Daytime Drinking

One of the most charming and successful low-budget films of the last year is the Korean Daytime Drinking. Apparently the director had less than 10,000 euros available to shoot his début, which meant he had to work with a very small crew, authentic locations and natural lighting. As many have remarked, the tone of the story is reminiscent of Jim Jarmusch.
A young man, Hyuk-Jin, has just been dumped by his girlfriend. He goes out to get drunk with his friends. Enormous amounts of soju are consumed. In order to cheer him up, his friends persuade him to go with them next day to a hotel on the coast run by a relative. But when Hyuk-Jin arrives, there’s no one there and the place is closed. Everyone has forgotten him.
This is the beginning of a journey filled with misunderstandings and obstacles and goals that keep changing. The shy Hyuk-Jin meets lots of new people to drink with, although not all of them are equally reliable. He staggers between the comfort of drunkenness in company and the inevitable hangover. In the end he will have to come to terms with the facts of his own life, his naivety and his friendships. Winner of the prize for the best film at the Jeonju Festival. (GT)