[HanCinema's Film Review] "MIMANG"

On the streets of Seoul, an unnamed man played by Ha Seong-guk inadvertently runs into an unnamed woman played by Lee Myung-ha. His exact profession is vague, but she works in film, the implication being that they know each other from school. Like any great understated film, "MIMANG" is vague on most of the specifics as it depicts two more chance encounters between them, years later, that beg questions of gradual change- or the lack thereof.

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The first thing that really stands out about "MIMANG" is how it's filmed in the actual streets of Seoul, most notably Gwanghwamun Square. The scope of this filming is about as close as you're likely to get to what these streets actually look like on a normal day. The storefronts, the throngs of people, and the slow monotony are all perfectly reflected as we watch our characters wander around the city, making casual conversation on the way to their destinations.

Where is anyone actually going? Well...that's a lot more ambivalent. Our main characters are relatively optimistic at the start of the film, over their first wandering in downtown Seoul. But by the beginning of the second session, we can see that events discoursing on South Korean film history are poorly attended. There's talk of Seoul Cinema closing down. Neither of our leads seem to have much confidence in the permanency of their work. The third short opening with a funeral just seems to further confirm this.

The vague romantic interest the two leads have in each other underscore the importance of these moments, as if they're hoping that maybe something more permanent could come of this work. In one fascinating sequence in the second film, the two of them discuss an entirely hypothetical romantic relationship based on the events in the classic Korean film they just saw. In a more pretentious film, this discussion would demonstrate how clever and likable they are.

Instead, the conversation's aloofness points to their inability to really commit to an idea beyond the abstraction of film. The genuine self-doubt seen here is a far cry from the sort of art house films where this kind of ambivalence is treated as a sort of affectation. "Past Lives" is a recent example of one such film. "MIMANG" is far more human by comparison, because its characters aren't successful professionals. They're functional professionals, with at least one old friend who left scholarly pursuits to become a taxi driver.

Then there's the central conceit of Gwanghwamun's famous statue of Admiral Yi Sun-shin, whether that statue will be moved, and whether he was right-handed or left-handed. The bittersweet point being made with this recurring story is about how the past is fundamentally unknowable, and always at risk of being recontextualized by the present. The streets of Seoul, and its many people, thus lurk in the background as a constant reminder of how little seems to change. That, in its own odd way, functions as a sort of comfort.

Written by William Schwartz

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"MIMANG" is directed by Kim Tae-yang, and features Lee Myung-ha, Ha Seong-guk, Park Bong-joon, Baek Seung-jin, Jung Soo-ji. Release date in Korea: 2024.