Fresh and passionate, Daytime Drinking is the outstanding debut feature by the multi-talented Noh Young-seok, who not only directed, produced, wrote and edited the film, but also composed its captivating score and decorated the sets. A remarkable achievement for its shoestring budget, this is a truly independent project with an untamed spirit. Intense yet lighthearted, it strays from the bloodless mould of melancholic, contemplative films to find a direct path to the audience's mind. While it may have art-house aspirations, Daytime Drinking speaks a mainstream language and lingers on the romanticism of a broken heart with eccentric humour.
Drinking to forget is a timeless ritual, and when Hyuk-jin (Song Sam-dong) meets his friends after being dumped by his girlfriend, he gets hopelessly inebriated. Against his will, he agrees to go with them on a trip to Jeongseon in the distant province of Gangwon-do. Waking up the next, chilly morning at the Jeongseon bus stop, he discovers, after many cigarettes and phone calls, that none of his friends made it to the resort, nor have any intention of joining him. Alone in this unfamiliar, unexceptional place, he embarks upon what will turn out to be an odd road trip.
Stumbling from misunderstanding to misunderstanding and cradling his broken heart, Hyuk-jin finds himself walking in his underwear along mountainous roads where tigers are believed to roam at night. He rests at inhospitable guesthouses and kisses beautiful, strange girls, all while ambling towards an epic, clarifying hangover.
Honest and unpretentious, Daytime Drinking is composed of a series of desperately delightful vignettes. It has the powerful energy and the confidence of a first feature, its idiosyncratic charm resting on a well-constructed script and a curious character study. Dodging all excesses in favour of a clean directorial style with no room for ornate aesthetics, Daytime Drinking is a special work by a director to watch.
Giovanna Fulvi
Noh Young-seok was born in Seoul and majored in ceramic art at Seoul National University. Daytime Drinking (08), his feature directing debut, won both the JJ-Star Award and the Audience Critics' Award at the Jeonju International Film Festival.