GRADUATION

Union Award, 2018 Jeonju International Film Festival

Hae-Rang is finally in the last moments of her college career. While preparing simultaneously for celebrations and job searches, she returns home one day to discover that her mom has decided to sell their home in Seoul and move back to her hometown. If finishing college isn’t stressful enough, Hae-Rang must now figure out how to live on her own while desperately trying to pursue her dream of being a production designer for films. While everyone around her has an opinion about her future, Hae-rang reminds them that she “likes the taste of instant noodles” and sets out to prove that she can do this on her own.

Director Joan Ji Yey Hui takes us through a meandering road of inspiration, anxiety, and the  exhaustion of gripping tightly to your dreams while walking across the stage. Hui leaves no room for sugarcoating in GRADUATION, portraying all the exhilarating ups and the seemingly world-ending downs unique to this time of life. And yet there is hope, embodied in the fresh camerawork and buoyant storytelling of director Joan Ji Yey Hui, herself a young recent film school graduate with a lot to prove. GRADUATION has our attention. Big things are around the corner.

– Aleya Zenieris