Rotten Tomatoes

Movies / TV

    Celebrity

      No Results Found

       View All       Movies Tv shows Shop News Showtimes

      The Day He Arrives

      Released Apr 20, 2012 1h 19m Drama List
      91% Tomatometer 22 Reviews 69% Audience Score 250+ Ratings A filmmaker (Yoo Jun-sang) wanders aimlessly around Seoul when the friend he was supposed to meet does not show up. Read More Read Less

      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 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 (23) audience reviews
      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 walter m In "The Day He Arrives," Sungjoon(Jun-Sang Yu) decides to take off some time from his day job as a film director to visit Seoul, so he can look up some old friends. First is Kyungjin(Bo-kyeong Kim), an old flame. Then there is Youngho(Sung Jung Kim) who does not recognize the feelings he has for Boram(Seon-mi Song). The only things that really set apart "The Day He Arrives" from Sang-soo Hong's other films is that it is filmed in black and white and is set in Seoul. But aside from a few exterior shots and a civil defense drill, this could have just easily been Omaha. Perhaps realizing that he is simply repeating himself, Sang-soo Hong decided to make the entire movie one whole long Mobius Strip which you have to admit is kind of different. And actually not that long at 78 minutes. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

      Cast & Crew

      Show Less Cast & Crew Show More Cast & Crew

      More Like This

      View All Best Movies to Stream at Home
      94% 50% Yourself and Yours 92% 67% On the Beach at Night Alone TRAILER for On the Beach at Night Alone 92% 67% Right Now, Wrong Then TRAILER for Right Now, Wrong Then 92% 65% Grass TRAILER for Grass 97% 25% Walk Up Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

      Movie News & Guides

      View All Movie News & Guides

      This movie is featured in the following articles.

      Critics Consensus: The Lucky One Can’t Catch a Break

      Photos

      View All The Day He Arrives photos

      The Day He Arrives

      The Day He Arrives (2011) The Day He Arrives (2011) View more photos

      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
      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
      Most Popular at Home Now