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The Day He Arrives

Play trailer Poster for The Day He Arrives Released Apr 20, 2012 1h 19m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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91% Tomatometer 22 Reviews 69% 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

View All (22) Critics Reviews
J. R. Jones Chicago Reader The listless execution may remind you less of 8 1/2 than of Woody Allen's whiny Stardust Memories. Jul 6, 2012 Full Review Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times 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. Rated: 3.5/4 Jul 5, 2012 Full Review Richard Brody The New Yorker 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... Apr 23, 2012 Full Review Jordan M. Smith IONCINEMA.com For many this will be quite frustrating, but for those that it clicks for, much wealth can be wrought. Nov 18, 2020 Full Review Chris Sosa Bay Area Reporter Hong Sangsoo severely tries our patience with a deliberately paced talk-fest focused on the amorous misadventures of a once-promising Korean filmmaker. Jun 18, 2020 Full Review Mattie Lucas From the Front Row Handles a surprising amount of thematic richness in its bare bones structure, and Hong conveys it with both elegance and grace. Rated: 3.5/4 Aug 6, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (24) audience reviews
Richard B 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. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 10/06/24 Full Review Audience Member 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. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Audience Member 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. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review Audience Member 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. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/19/23 Full Review Audience Member Dialogue heavy art-house film with a low-key atmosphere but explores different relationships well. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Audience Member Similar to In Another Country, but for some reason I liked this one a bit more. There's just something about it that made me enjoy it, when I'm usually not into this sort of thing. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/16/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Day He Arrives

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Cast & Crew

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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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