[HanCinema's Film Review] "Waiting For Rain"

In 2002, Yeong-ho (played by Kang Ha-neul) is a repeat failed college student entrance examiner and apprentice leathersmith. Yeong-ho has increasingly little idea what he wants out of life. His brother Yeong-hwan (played by Lim Ju-hwan) is a big shot who suggests that money is what matters. An exam acquaintance, Soo-jin (played by Kang So-ra), unsubtly hints that romance might give Yeong-ho's life purpose. Yeong-ho rejects these ideas, and instead takes comfort writing letters to So-yeon (played by Lee Seol), who's dying of a chronic disease.

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"Waiting For Rain" has a very confusing and pointless framing device. Nearly all of the important establishing action takes place in 2002. Flash-forwards to 2011 only make the movie's sense of time needlessly disorienting. I can't think of any good reason why the story couldn't just be edited in chronological order. Well, the two scenes about Yeong-ho's childhood are fine, mostly because the characters there are obviously played by completely different actors.

Beyond that editing issue, the cinematography of "Waiting For Rain" is absolutely gorgeous. We see the city streets of the early 2000s in all their rustic glory, with Seoul's urban landscape still feeling like a place where people can actually live. Yeong-ho's choice to embrace the family trade of his father over the educated life of his brother is emblematic of his inherent idealistic outlook. This is not to be confused with Soo-jin's romance, as we see them travel from seedy hotels to majestic beaches with the same loving care to visual detail.

The difference between idealism and romanticism in "Waiting For Rain" is a matter of concreteness. Yeong-ho's entire notion of who So-yeon is largely consists of mystery and fantasy. So-yeon is a woman he's never actually met, and possibly never will. So by fetishizing the idea of waiting for her, Yeong-ho is able to put aside the importance of true long-term plans, or a serious relationship. Yeong-ho, in 2002, doesn't know who he is or what he wants to be. Through So-yeon's letters, he is able to find himself.

This doesn't exactly sound like a healthy way to go about life and love, but we can see that it works for Yeong-ho. So-yeon fills Yeong-ho's heart with strength, determination, and patience. These are all qualities Yeong-ho needed, but they weren't qualities he was ever going to learn in cram school. We can see Yeong-ho mature and blossom into an adult because the letters inspire his idealism, and encourage him to embrace the comfort of the rain rather than the brightness of the stars.

We also see this well-reflected on the feminine side of this long-distance relationship, with Yeong-ho's romantic opposite in Busan appreciating the need to achieve maturity through balance. We see that Yeong-ho provided tremendous comfort to So-yeon in a difficult time just as Yeong-ho received back as a child. Paying respects to people we know, however obliquely, is always more satisfying than success in the name of success. "Waiting For Rain" might be a sentimental melodrama- but not at all in the way a cursory plot summary makes it sound.

Review by William Schwartz

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"Waiting For Rain" is directed by Jo Jin-mo, and features Kang Ha-neul, Chun Woo-hee, Lee Seol, Lee Yang-hee, Lee Hang-na, Kang Young-seok. Release date in Korea: 2021/04/28.