Little Forest (2018) Movie Review + Thoughts

I stumbled upon a post on instagram about this movie, and spontaneously asked my best friend to watch it with me online despite living at the opposite side of the world.

In fact, I’ve been eyeing and putting my nose in this movie for the longest time, because I am an admirer of Kim Tae-Ri, her choices of the project are always remarkable, not in the sense of those resulting in blockbuster-kind of success, but there is always this profound, bittersweet trails of the projects she has chosen.

My thoughts:

Hye-Won is a burnt-out college graduate, who stumbled past her dream of becoming a teacher. Eventually, she came back to her quaint little town that she’s been sickly wanting to escape in the past. Through her point of view, we get to experience her dwelling from initially wanting to just stay downtown for a few days, which stretched until the change of seasons and ultimately spending a whole year there.

I think all of us could relate to her at some point. Especially if we are living far away from home, in the vibrant and hectic busy life in the city, to pursue our studies, dreams and works. It took a lot of effort and sacrifices to finally fly out from the cozy nestle, brushing against the cold and harsh wind to get where we are now. But sometimes, there are times we got weary from trying to survive all the time, to be on the fly-and-fight mode each day, that the thought of ‘maybe it would be better if we’re at home now’ would come across.

Though Hye-Won left everything behind and came back to ‘square-one’, her story afterwards doesn’t dance in a sombre tone, but also not in a hopeful manner like other mainstream stories that turn it into superficial-forced feelings, but rather, it is the feeling of comfort that is found back when she revisited her root. That’s what I appreciate a lot from the movie. Oftentimes, in this cliche-coming-home trope, the protagonist would encounter a series of existential storms delving into episodes of disappointments and regrets. However, her story did not take us down that road, but rather let us float along the natural flow without having the need to slide through the bumpy emotional wave crashes foremostly. 

I guess this raw, real, unsuperficial sentiment struck deep inside my heart. Because it felt too real. I think that is the beauty of this movie, how it can make you resonate deeply, but not in an ‘artificial’ way that makes such extreme tugs in your inside, but rather, it is just as if a random stranger unexpectedly handing you a cup of hot tea on a cold snowy day. It is not something huge or extravagant, but that simple act of kindness just warms your heart and leaves a smile on your face.

 I think that’s what this movie is like for me.

Food and Souls

We perceive food as an essential (which is ofc the truth), but also a sort of enjoyment. However, for homemade cook, it’s profoundly connecting us emotionally to the warmth and love, whether it is the homemade food made by our mother, grandmother, or even ourselves. Knowing that the meal is made intentionally for our own appetite, not someone else's, there’s so much sincerity in it. 

Hae-Won told her best friend she came back to the town because she’s hungry.

“Instant food didn’t fill me up. I meant it when I said I came back because I’m hungry.”

When you live in a big city away from your loved ones and have the need to cater to your own self, you eventually realise the privilege of having food made by your loved ones. When you are struggling to make the ends meet, eating a nice simple meal is a huge privilege. Living in a huge city, it’s easy to get dragged by the hustling, fast-paced culture of modern society. To put it in an uglier sense, it feels like you’re living as a rat. It took so much energy and time to care for making your own meal as it feels like you’ll be losing the time to run to catch something else. Hence, it is the truth when Hae-Won said she’s coming back because of hunger. The hunger for warmth, nutritious, intentionally-made food and the satisfaction from slowing down and made time to care for your body and soul.  

A significant portrayal made in the movie is the stark differences between her life in Seoul and in her hometown. In Seoul, the scenes are pictured in a dim, darker and still mode. Whilst in her hometown, we can feel the bursts of sunshine, cosiness, and amiability radiating from the nature. This signifies how tough life is in the city, and it keeps draining her more and more.

“In nature, there is no hurry, everything happens at its own pace.”

Japonoshophy (Review of Little Forest movie - Japanosophy)

What Lee Jae-Ha Said

“Keeping yourself busy like that won’t solve your problems.”

I felt this to the core. I would say keeping myself busy is my best coping mechanism after indulging in heart-rending reading and show-watching. However, life is life. You can’t shut your eyes and pretend them as imperceptible. Howbeit, I wouldn’t say confronting every single problem is a wise choice either. There are distinguishments between difficulties, troubles, problems, crises and concerns. There are degrees of urgency and worthiness in facing it. But from this quote, it’s evident that some things are just inevitable. They shouldn’t be kept away for so long, as the untreated wound will be pungent and become uglier if left for so long. A problem could trigger others to arise, which will eventually bite us back wholly in the end. 

Face your fear and the reality, even if it seems daunting- a note to myself. 

I didn’t think much when watching the movie, it just gives me momentary peace of mind amidst the havoc of my life now. However, by writing this, more thoughts and reflections come streaming, wandering in my mind as if a person just turn on the faucet and left it unattended. I guess I like this movie much more now than before. 

So, if you are someone who feels a bit dreaded of this life, give it a shot, it might land in your heart.

*all gifs are credited to various tumblr accounts!