Daytime Drinking

Director: NOH Young-seok
Year: 2008 - Production: StONEwork
Movie Home - SXSW Page - IMDb

Lowdown: This is the heartbreak-induced-Korean-drunken-misadventure movie you've been looking for.
Bonus: Korean drinking FAQ at the film's website.

Hyuk-Jin just got dumped by his girlfriend so he's out drinking with his buddies. To cheer him up they decide to take a trip to Jeongseon, but Hyuk-Jin has to go home first to feed his dogs so he'll travel seperately. When he arrives he learns that his buddies never left - they passed out and have a terrible hangover - he's on his own.

So begins Hyuk-Jin's drunken journey around Korea in the wintertime. From Seoul to Jeongseon to Gangneung and some points in-between, Hyuk-Jin is batted back and forth like a pinball by a universe determined to keep him drunk and unbalanced.

There are many moments of quality comedy here, if you're the type able to laugh at the world when it spits in your face. The sadness, desperation and loneliness come through crystal clear as well, and anyone who's tried to drink their way out of the funk from being dumped will surely find many moments of solidarity with Hyuk-Jin.

Those not native to or familiar with Korean culture will find a good deal of interest in the various drinks and customs regarding drinking, and the film will likely leave you wanting to at least try some Soju, if not go on a full scale Soju, wine and whiskey bender.

Clocking in at just under 2 hours, Daytime Drinking can feel slow at times. The pacing, however does enhance the comically sad and desperate situations Hyuk-Jin finds himself in. The characters he encounters also each carry an absurd situation or two of their own, which usually leads to some good humor as their paths cross, crash into and reconnect with Hyuk-Jin's own drunken journey.

Subtitled, sometimes poorly, but the Engrish can be quite comical itself, Daytime Drinking is worth checking out if you're into off-the-beaten-path features or chronicles of drunken adventure.

I am
the
Baba

Upon Deeper Introspection

Mad Monkey selections, part two: actually trying Continue reading

Trailer Hitch

Published on March 09, 2015

Return to Die Harder Too: Dark Territory

Published on March 04, 2015