[Movie Review] ‘On the Sand House,’ starring Lee Seol, realistically captures struggles of youth

연합뉴스 / 2023-03-23 10:51:29

▲ This photo, provided by MNM International, shows a scene from 'On the Sand House.' (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

SEOUL, Mar. 23 (Yonhap) -- Jin-young (played by Lee Seol) is a 30-year-old job seeker who studies hard to get a job at an international firm. However, the reality is way harsher than she expected.

She, who has long been desperate for a life with a dream job, then sets a new goal of traveling to Canada for a working holiday. She then prepares to realize her dream of leaving Korea and working in Canada.

However, she then gets in charge of taking care of her father due to the unexpected death of her mother. Her father, Hyung-seok (Park Ji-il), who runs a factory, tends to make spontaneous decisions due to his long-coveted dream of success.

As her father, who tend to overly rely on others, is on a verge of another failure, Jin-young’s older sister, who moved out after marriage, asks Jin-young not to leave but to stay aside him and afford help with a gracious heart.

The movie “On the Sand House” tells the story of Jin-young, a struggling youth who is in search of a job, facing another conflict by having a hard time turning a blind eye to her father who is left alone.

Director Kim Hyung-jung took the helm and professionally captured Jin-young’s life which flows like a stream of water. Actress Lee Seol, who made herself known by starring in multiple films including “The Cursed: Dead Man’s Prey,” “Hard Hit,” and “Thunderbird,” as well as the television series “One Ordinary Day,” “D.P.,” and “When the Devil Calls Your Name,” has brought life to a lethargic job seeker and realistically portrayed the struggles of youth.

Director Kim said, “I wanted to talk about a realistic family that just appreciates each other just the way they are, even though they may be inadequate and immature.”

This PG-12 drama film, with a running time of 123 minutes, will hit the local theaters on Mar. 29.

(This article is translated from Korean to English by Ha eun Lee)

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