Two children in Korea form a bond. The little girl’s family moves to Canada. 23 years later, the couple start a long-distance internet relationship which the young woman ends abruptly. She gets married. 23 years later, she is contacted by her Korean friend again, and they connect in New York, hold hands, give each other long soulful glances and thoroughly confuse her husband. Then, the man goes back to Korea. That’s it. I’m sorry but this movie didn’t do it for me. It was a pretty movie to look at, and all the characters were so civilized and well-behaved. There just wasn’t any conflict or real drama here. I’m actually surprised this is nominated for Best Picture. But then what do I know?
Monohla Dargis of The New York Times liked the movie but even she had to admit: These scenes of Nora and Hae Sung reconnecting are pleasant, partly because Lee and Yoo are both nice to spend time with. But as the days give way to one night after another, this interlude can also feel drifty and even a little innocuous, almost like filler. That’s partly because although Yoo is awfully nice to look at, and while Song continues to add in details about Hae Sung’s life in South Korea, the character never takes deep root in the story the way that Nora does. For much of it, he is effectively a ghostly figure, a beautiful specter on a laptop screen whose open face hides very little, including Hae Sung’s vulnerability and yearning.
If you’re watching all of the Best Picture movies like I am this year, you have to watch this. But that doesn’t mean you have to stay awake.
