korean cinema 🇰🇷

this short is so sincere and makes a quiet but significant impact on the heart. there were so many moments in this that hit so close to home.

a desire to perform well to receive affirmation from your parents. hearing your dad utter the words "i love you" to another woman, wishing you could hear those words too. having your mom nagging about your older sister, worrying about your older brother's meals and wishing she had you in her thoughts too.

being jealous of a friend's family situation. of being treated kindly by a friend's parents, thinking about how different it is back home. of crying and being called ugly by your own father. wondering if you have a place in your own family.

every single action and expression is there intentionally to express each character's feelings and to convey the words they don't say. a slam of the window. rushing back from school to show an academic achievement, hoping to receive compliments. only to hear words like "why are you here" before brushing you off.

but it's also not that there's no parental love. when an exhausted mom notices something is wrong and opens up her arms for an embrace. when a blunt dad notices your untied shoelaces and ties them for you.

of realising that in your own desire to receive warmth and affection from your parents, they too could have needed that warmth to cope with their own busy lives to. of realising that we are all just humans trying to express love in our ways and receive love.