‘In Our Day’ Review – Quiet Reflection And The Importance Of Cats Inform This Film About Identity

A pet, any pet, can be a welcome distraction to a person’s life. They can provide companionship and unconditional love. In the film In Our Day, a cat becomes the central yet understated tenet, bridging two parallel storylines. In both cases, a struggling actress, and an aging poet, confront their career trajectories while contending with the profound emotional impact of the presence or, in one case, the absence of a feline companion. There is much soul-searching, and the film puts us in the psyche of a tortured artist. The film is neither ambitious nor timid to ask bold questions. The reflective movie creates parallel stories of life, loss, and reinvention to varying effects.

Hong Sang-soo is a celebrated Korean filmmaker who, in his latest film, tells a personal story of two separate people wrestling with identity and age. His choice to focus on two artists, one an actress, Sangwon (Kim Min-hee), and a poet, Uiju (Ki Joobong), is clever. The design seems semi-autobiographical or self-reflective. These two characters exist in separate storylines in the film, but they overlap not only by using noodles but also by the presence of a cat. They also reckon with the questions through their discussions with friends and interviewers.

In the case of Sangwon, she leans on her friend to decide on the next phase of her career. The questions she wrestles with in her conversations are never fully answered. She finds a distraction and perhaps solace in her friend’s cat, Us. The film suggests that the presence of a pet in one’s life can provide excellent stability and comfort. In the parallel story of Uiju, he suffers from the loss of his cat and tries to confront his advancing age. In addition, two students attempt to interview him about his life and career as a poet.

Both storylines suggest that the presence and absence of a pet, in this case, a cat, affects the respective artist. Sangwon never decides her future as an actress; instead, she becomes preoccupied with her friend’s cat. This lulls her into a state of indifference. On the flip side, Uiju is enduring despite his loss. He informs his interviewers about the challenges of creating art and maintaining a creative mindset. This is the crux of his challenge and the lingering issue facing Sangwon. She seems content to look for distraction, and he, without a distraction in his life, must press on and create art.

The film’s unique approach of shifting storylines allows it to pose the same question and receive different answers. The film invites the audience to engage in a process of intellectual reflection and interpretation. While sometimes effective, as the narrative seems to run out of yarn, In Our Day is still thoroughly engaging by the end. The film delves into questions of self-worth and reinvention while maintaining a slow pace and intimate scale. Characters inhabit small apartments, eat noodles, take walks through gardens, and simply enjoy the quiet pleasantries of life. There is no rush, no chaos, and the film strives to showcase the power of slowing down to contemplate the bigger questions that define human existence.

Ultimately, the film’s lack of flashiness is a deliberate choice, inviting the audience to find their own meaning in the open-ended narrative. In Our Day is quiet and contemplative as it peels back the layers of life. There is an almost meditative quality to the film. It takes its time to show the characters in the midst of the ordinary, foregoing a tale of the peaks and valleys of life. This deliberate pacing and focus on the mundane can evoke a sense of calm and reflection in the audience.

In Our Day is currently playing in select theaters courtesy of The Cinema Guild. For a full list of theaters, please visit the film’s website here.