Moving On

Yoon Dan-bi's 2020 debut feature follows two siblings who move into their grandfather's house for a summer. The younger, Dong-ju, adapts easily, while the adolescent Ok-ju feels out of place. When an aunt on the point of divorce also moves in, three generations gather under one roof, and Ok-ju slowly attaches to the house and to her grandfather. The film contains almost no dramatic event; the story proceeds through meals, sleep, arguments and silence. Yoon's method is static frames and long takes, with the camera taking a position inside the house while people pass in front of it. This vein of Korean independent cinema carries the influence of Hirokazu Kore-eda while being barer. The ending offers no resolution, only the end of the summer. Who it's for: viewers who like Korean independent cinema and films of everyday life. Who it's not for: anyone wanting plot, or who will find the quiet progression of ageing and death wearing.