#little forest

films are so much more enjoyable when you are in the right mood for them. a coronavirus-induced lockdown and some career changes has made me contemplative and yearning for something to anchor on. which is why little forest was especially delightful to watch.

inlittle forest, kim tae-ri plays hye-won, who returns to her rural hometown after failing to become a teacher in seoul. although she initially claims to only stay for “four days or so”, she stays through the four seasons while doing farm work, reconnecting with her childhood friends, and reconciling with the bittersweet memories of her mother, who had suddenly left her when she was in high school.

little forest does a brilliant job of advertising simple countryside living. while some parts did come across as unrealistic, i must admit that i was compelled. often city dwellers over-compensate to find some grounding and resonance with countryside living (pottery, homemade kombucha and cold brew teas are only some examples). but in the world where hye-won and her friends live in, this way of life is modestly taken as daily routine. we see hye-won’s home warmly furnished with handmade wheel-thrown wares, well-stocked with muslin cloth and mason jars, and i cannot lie that i felt no jealousy.

more so than others, food featured strongly in this film. little forest fed us with many recipes that comprised only natural ingredients across the four seasons - potato bread, azuki bean-topped rice flour pancakes, plain-fried cabbage with sujebi. (i am sure there is a compilation of little forest recipes somewhere on the web.) when hye-won winces remembering the convenience store bentos she ate while living in seoul, i winced with her too, knowing just how industrial those could taste. crucially, hye-won’s passion for authentic natural cooking is imparted from her mother; while she reconnects with countryside cooking, she is forced to face the memories of her mother in the kitchen. 

what resonated the most with me was the farming practice of ‘field planting’. i am not sure of the exact english term, but in essence it refers to the transferring of germinated seeds from a smaller environment to a larger one, so the seeds are given more space to grow. jae-ha (ryu joon-yeol’s character) had quit his job in seoul to return to farming in the countryside, and he explained to hye-won, “i left because i do not want to live a life set up by others. in the workplace i am rarely given the space to act freely. i am just waiting for payday. what was the meaning in that?” while it could sound flippant and romanticised, i resonated especially with that sentiment because of the recent career changes that i made. when jae-ha called hye-won out, that she was just keeping busy to avoid having to think about bigger problems, i even teared because it was as if he was talking about me and the everyday. where is my space to settle and grow?

little forest felt so japanese in tone (unsurprisingly so, since the source material was a japanese book of the same name), which i enjoyed because i like japanese fiction. in fact, this film reminded me in particular of the travelling cat chronicles, because both the book and this film lusciously depicted the beauty of the seasons in the countryside. regardless of setting, though, i think the strength of little forest lies in that its themes and heart is universal and easily transposable. who doesn’t, even occasionally, yearn for a simpler routine, a meaningful existence, and catharsis? 

little forest is probably the second korean film to move me on a personal level, after house of hummingbird. and  unsurprisingly so too, because they are both helmed by female directors. i am always looking forward to more films by female filmmakers, and while i hadn’t heard of this director before, her other films look very interesting and sensitive, so they will definitely be checked out soon. if you are a fan of korean entertainment in general, you’d be able to recognise certain actor favourites (kim tae-ri, moon so-ri, ryu joon-yeol, jin ki-joo). this film probably also contributed to the rising popularity of camping in korea, as well as variety shows such as little cabin in the woods. 

i’d encourage people to watch this - lockdown or not, but even more so during lockdown. it may lead you to look harder for the simple comforts that already exist within your homes, or it may lead you to re-examine something more. – 9/10

clock:

리틀포레스트 (little forest, 2018)

kim-taeri: