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The Day He Arrives

Play trailer Poster for The Day He Arrives 2012 1h 19m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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91% Tomatometer 22 Reviews 70% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
A filmmaker (Yoo Jun-sang) wanders aimlessly around Seoul when the friend he was supposed to meet does not show up.

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The Day He Arrives

Critics Reviews

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J. R. Jones Chicago Reader 07/06/2012
The listless execution may remind you less of 8 1/2 than of Woody Allen's whiny Stardust Memories. Go to Full Review
Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times 07/05/2012
3.5/4
Sang-soo Hong has no profound point to pound home. His story doesn't need an ending. He accepts all the characters just as they are. Go to Full Review
Richard Brody The New Yorker 04/23/2012
Hong abstracts the tense network of fragile relationships to crisp, briskly sketched lines that he adorns with bubbly and self-deprecating humor and graceful wonders... Go to Full Review
Jordan M. Smith IONCINEMA.com 11/18/2020
For many this will be quite frustrating, but for those that it clicks for, much wealth can be wrought. Go to Full Review
Chris Sosa Bay Area Reporter 06/18/2020
Hong Sangsoo severely tries our patience with a deliberately paced talk-fest focused on the amorous misadventures of a once-promising Korean filmmaker. Go to Full Review
Mattie Lucas From the Front Row 08/06/2019
3.5/4
Handles a surprising amount of thematic richness in its bare bones structure, and Hong conveys it with both elegance and grace. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Siwoo J Oct 8 정지와 반복의 미세한 변주 속에서, 존재는 방향이 아닌 흔들림으로 증명된다. See more Richard B @RichardB12314 10/06/2024 It's a movie about how we have social personas but we at times don't understand our own masks, let alone the masks of others. Then the internal impulses that can't be denied erupt and lead to unexpected detours in our lives. When we encounter the past, it can repeat. When we meet new people it can go in a new direction. It's strangely comedic at times because the main character is unmoored, so no lasting connections can be made and they are broken off just as quickly as they are made. See more 12/26/2016 Sang-soo evokes thoughts about human relations and the randomness of existence through his muted and self-deprecating characters in such a casual and dryly comedic way it deserves praise. See more 07/03/2015 Sang-soo Hong's endlessly fascinating study of "identity" "time" and human connection. Somehow connected to and similar to the Film Art that came to the world via La Nouvelle Vague -- this film is essentially a filmmaker taking a seemingly mundane walk in a village of Seoul in which he encounter old friends, lovers and strangers. It is never clear is this is one day, several days or one day presented in various combinations. It is equally unclear why the filmmaker, "Seongjun" is unable to distinguish at least two of the women. It this meant to show is conflict regarding women or is this a reflection back to him of how he feels women perceive him? It is woozy and challenging proposition of film that is ultimately a study of a man who has somehow lost the ability to connect and form meaningful human condition. The fact that it is filmmaker experiencing this is all the more potent. See more 04/23/2015 There's great stuff here, it just doesn't coalesce into a cohesive whole. And yes, that's a weird thing to say about a film that by design isn't cohesive. But there's surreal films where you feel like you're riding the wave, and there's surreal films where you feel like you're getting tossed around. This is the latter. Which, is a shame, because like I said, there's some really great stuff here. Honest scenes with clever camera moves and raw acting. Worth seeing, for sure, but don't expect to feel full after. See more 11/19/2014 Dialogue heavy art-house film with a low-key atmosphere but explores different relationships well. See more Read all reviews
The Day He Arrives

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Movie Info

Synopsis A filmmaker (Yoo Jun-sang) wanders aimlessly around Seoul when the friend he was supposed to meet does not show up.
Director
Hong Sang-soo
Producer
Kim Kyoung-hee
Screenwriter
Hong Sang-soo
Production Co
Jeonwonsa Film
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Korean
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 20, 2012, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 23, 2017
Runtime
1h 19m
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