'A Flowing Journey' finds quiet beauty in everyday kindness
A poster for the film "A Flowing Journey" / Courtesy of Pado and Jinjin Pictures
An elderly woman cleans a piano she cannot play and a car she cannot drive every day. The woman, Chun-hee (played by Kim Hye-ok), moves into a small apartment on her own after her husband dies. Cleaning her late husband’s piano and car seems to be Chun-hee’s way of mourning, as well as a kind of ritual that reminds her she is still alive.
What appears to be a pointless daily chore leads to unexpected connections. When she meets Min-jun (Justin H. Min), a conductor who has come to Germany in search of his birth mother, and Seong-chan (Park Dae-ho), a teenage boy who dreams of becoming a pianist, a gentle new rhythm enters Chun-hee’s quiet life.
The film “A Flowing Journey,” which was released Wednesday, follows people with seemingly nothing in common as they meet by chance and gradually find their way into one another’s lives. It portrays their individual stories and struggles without exaggeration, focusing instead on ordinary moments spent sharing meals and asking after one another. The lyrical piano melodies that run throughout the film create subtle ripples, adding depth to the story. It is a warm, understated film grounded in the rhythms of everyday life, a quality rarely seen in films and dramas these days.
The film is also a story about what it means to be a good adult. Chun-hee quietly leaves a chair for an elderly neighbor who rests on the apartment stairs, and does not waste her time or emotional energy trying to find whoever damaged her car’s side mirror. She refrains from passing judgment on Min-jun and Seong-chan, both much younger than herself, while maintaining a respectful distance. And she quietly passes on to the next generation the things dearest to her. Kim Hye-ok’s performance, which conveys the weight of time and grief with quiet restraint, inspires the belief that such an adult could exist somewhere in the world.
Although no character with a disability takes center stage, the film has a curious power to broaden viewers’ understanding of disability. Chun-hee’s husband was deaf. An architect, he built a house for his family with his own hands, loved playing the piano by feeling the vibrations of the keys and even composed music for his wife. He was a loving husband in every sense.
This portrayal draws on the personal experiences of director Kim Jin-yu. Kim is a CODA — a hearing child of deaf adults — and his feature debut, “Bori” (2020), also delicately told the story of a CODA girl, drawing on his own life. For both films, Kim included Korean-language subtitles for deaf audiences.
“Deaf people cannot watch Korean films because they have no subtitles," he said at a press conference held at CGV Yongsan I'Park Mall in Seoul on Oct. 16. “We are releasing the film with subtitles so deaf families can enjoy it.”
The film also marks the first appearance in a Korean movie by Korean American Hollywood actor Justin H. Min. Known to Korean audiences for the film “After Yang” and the series “Beef,” Min chose the project after spending several years preparing to appear in a Korean production.
“I hadn’t come across a script that really resonated with me, but I was moved as soon as I read this one.," he said in an interview at a cafe in Jongno District, Seoul, on Oct. 20. "Min-jun felt like my own story, and I liked the themes of life and death, which led me to take the role.”
Min gives a natural, understated portrayal of a young man navigating the space between different worlds, balancing a wry sense of humor with an approachable warmth. His narration, which runs throughout the film, adds to its gentle atmosphere.
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.