A heartbreaking and hilarious film of repeating patterns and circumstance, The Day He Arrives is a meditation on relationships, filmmaking, and the unknowable forces that govern our lives.
Seongjun, a film director who no longer makes films, goes to Seoul to meet a close friend. When the friend doesn’t show up, Seongjun begins to wander the city aimlessly. He runs into an actress he used to know, shares a drink with some young film students, then, against his better judgment, heads to his ex-girlfriend’s apartment. The next day, he finally meets his friend, has some drinks, shares some conversation, and meets a young woman who looks exactly like his ex-girlfriend. The next day goes very much like the previous day. Through it all Seongjun moves forward, struggling to find a purpose to his trip.
»Up till HaHaHa, I at least had a rough idea of how the story of a movie would develop but starting with Oki's Movie, I didn't even have that. Even with The Day He Arrives, I roughly decided on the cast and locations, and came up with the scenes only after starting to shoot the movie.« (Hong Sang-soo)
Hong Sang-soo
Born in 1960 in Seoul, South Korea. Initially studying film direction at the Chung-Ang University, he then graduated in filmmaking from the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, USA. Returning to Korea, he worked for television, later on dedicating himself to filmmaking. He also taught at the Korea National University of Arts.