Berlin: Bae Jeong-su (Song Sun-mi) returns to the acting scene in Director Hong Sang-soo's 34th film, "The Day She Returns," after a 12-year hiatus. The film captures a day marked by press interviews with three young journalists, all conducted at a German Korean family-run restaurant.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the black-and-white feature is mostly set at a table by the window, creating a minimal ambience that allows viewers to focus on Jeong-su's interactions. The camera remains on the actor, capturing the journalists only from the back and side, as they engage in discussions over coffee and German beer. The conversations shift from the film to Jeong-su's personal life, leading to revelations about the journalists' own struggles.
The interviews culminate in the journalists asking Jeong-su for advice, to which she responds with encouragement to love oneself. However, in an acting class later, Jeong-su struggles to recall her exact words, revealing discrepancies between her memory and reality. This raises questions about the nature of memory and truth.
"The Day She Returns" premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in February and will be released in local theaters next Wednesday.