Late Afternoon of a Kitchen Drinker — A Short Film (Review)
“I now go to a place where I was previously afraid to go — inward, to myself.”
This film tells a story like that. Of a woman who wishes to care but is lost within herself.
The Plot:
“Late afternoon of a Kitchen Drinker” introduces us to Gi-jeong, a newly mother who is struggling to make peace between her mental health and motherhood duties affected heavily by her daily drinking habit. Her life take an unexpected turn when she’s asked to care for her young niece, Jeong-ha who is deaf, for one day.
Understanding Gi-jeong
Gi-jeong is a new mother in her late 20s (approx) juggling with identity crisis and motherhood with the sudden shift of role in her life. This leads her to builing an addiction to drinking. With no one to share this to, Gi-jeong finds herself lost deep down in the dark sinkhole of her life, comparing her motherhood journey with her own mother’s (i.e. comparing to her childhood).
It is all until she gets to spend a day with her 6-year-old niece Jeong-ha, who is deaf. She shares her life worries with her, on how she is scared to be a mother as the only example she had was her mother. Afraid she won’t be able to do anything, she drinks up to her sadness.
Gi-jeong asks her niece, Jeong-ha, to take her hearing aids off if she isn’t yet used to/comfortable with them, yet since home is somewhere one must be comfortable. It’s a simple scene that shows her trying to make her niece feel at home, but if we looked from another perspective, Gi-jeong didn’t wish to be heard by Jeong-ha. Fearing, she might catch the sadness in her voice.
“You know, when I was young and had a stomatchache, my mom used to give me green plum juice in a pretty glass cup. It used to twinkle under the light. It was really pretty. Every time I took a sip, it felt like sipping the light with it and that’s why I think my stomatch tickled.” (Gi-jeong gets herself a cup of black coffee in the same pretty tea cup as the one she made Jeong-ha’s hot chocolate in. In hopes of her pain getting better.)
Jeong-ha & Gi-jeong
A 6-year-old child with hearing impaired, Jeong-ha is curious about many things but in her reserved way. She understands her aunt’s emotional state to an extent that she wishes to console her.
With Jeong-ha’s wishes to grow older after seeing the adults around her and Gi-jeong’s not with constant changes in her life, the two characters compliment each other in an ironical contrast.
In the end, the sweet little child is nothing but a saviour for Gi-jeong from her stage of depression. The only one she can talk to, the only one who consoles her without any judgement.
My Overview
Touching the sensitive line of realism in everyday life and identity crisis, “Late afternoon of a kitchen drinker” talks about how something as seemingly harmless as casual drinking can serve as a way to avoid facing deeper emotional struggles.
The maker also emphasized the importance of memories and generational connections. As our protagonist revisits her childhood and reflects on her relationship with her mother, she begins to understand her mother more deeply. The fact that she it was her first time too (being a mother).
I personally liked the use of sign language in the film, it added a layer of symbolism to the unspoken emotions and struggles the protagonist faces and didn’t wished to be listened by Jeong-ha.
In the end, the film tells us one simple message: The first step to saving ourselves is our own.
Film Details & Where to watch?
Starring Jang Woo-yeon (Gi-jeong) & Han Seo-hwi (Jeong-ha), the short film has been directed by Jang Wiji, cinematography by Lee Hae-Chang and sound mix by Hwang Soo-bin.
The film is streaming on Terafty itself.
Link: https://www.terafty.com/detail-film/67174fd5898058005df5a523
