It's time to pop the corn!

LITTLE
FOREST

Movie: Little Forest (2018)

Director: Yim Soon-rye
Producers: Jenna Ku
Writers: Hwang Seong-gu
Casts: Kim Tae-ri, Ryu Jun-yeol, Jin Ki-joo,
Moon So-ri
Running Time: 1h 44m
Genre: Drama
Rating: ★★★★★ 5/5
REVIEWED BY SOOAH KIM
 Little Forest
A young woman moves to the countryside from the city
for simpler pleasures in life

Cherry tomato. Fresh air. Tired of traffic noise and smoke? Return to When I look at the people in
the countryside and your dream will come true. Little Forest is a big the subway, they look all
show of simplicity. It focuses on such themes: nature, food, lifestyle, and exhausted,” Hye-won says at
love. Hye-won, a young woman, comes back to her hometown from the the beginning of the film. She
city and regains her spirit, leaving the audience with a desire for a seeks solace and returns to
simple life. While it is not a blockbuster or a mainstream favorite, Little Misung, a tiny rural village
Forest carries deep messages regarding lifestyle, dealing with the future, where she and her mother
and learning to love and trust other people. Do not hesitate to watch were brought up. Back in a
the perfect demonstration of a self-sustainable lifestyle. traditional Korean village,
she spots her mother’s “Little
Hye-won is a young country girl who gets tired of city life. She is Forest”: the moments of her
deemed as a failure in her society as she fails to land a teaching job and single mother building a
struggles in her love life. “The way we all live in the city is very similar. beloved home with a long
We get to work early in the morning, return home late and are tired all succession of lovingly cooked
the time. foods.

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 The movie pulls everything
together via its use of food. With
its soothing atmosphere, the
movie returns to the basics. The
movie leaves me with two
lingering questions: What is life-
giving? What is life-depleting?
When Hye-won returns to her
village, farming the land and
cooking foods bring her life back.
She realizes what is most
Just like her mother, Hye-won cooks local dishes with local important to her and obtains
ingredients and reconnects with two childhood friends, Jae-ha courage. Little Forest is a perfect
and Eun-sook. Hye-won cooks everything from rice cakes and film that helped me relax and
pasta to even home-brewed makgeolli—a Korean traditional distress from my life.
alcoholic beverage. The way the camera captures the images and
sounds of the freshly picked fruits and vegetables being
transformed into gourmet meals is a feast for our eyes. The
cooking, the farming, the bickering with her life are the key
features of the movie.

As the one who loves the organic lifestyle, I loved the movie. The
movie has many reasons to be enjoyed by many people. The
organized structure and themes beautifully depict Korea’s four
distinct seasons, exploring the change of seasons, the richness of
nature, and its relaxing mood. Little Forest is a film with no
villain, tension, or real conflict. Do we really need more tension
in our lives? City-dwellers spend thousands of dollars to “enjoy”
life, but director Yim shows us that maybe letting go can give us
exactly what we’ve wanted. I especially love the portrayal of food.
The dishes are varied in nature, with some that feel quite unusual.
A whole cabbage being fried? My taste-buds cannot ever imagine
the taste before actually tasting it. It is marvelous to see the
entire process of cooking organic foods with care, patience, and
joy.
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 To point out areas that could be improved, the movie
would have been more fruitful with expanded scenes for
cooking, eating, or framing. More gorgeous scenes of
nature would have given more impact to the audience,
further attracting them to a healthy lifestyle. In-depth
demonstrations of flashbacks and conversations would
allow the audience to better understand Hye Won’s
relationships with everyone. I wanted a better sense of
the villagers around her as well.

Overall, everyone needs this kind of

movie once in a while. The film soothes
and calms you. However, for those who
want more spice and stimulation, the
movie can be dull for you as it does not
contain any provoking scenes. The movie
can be monotonous for some as it has no
real conflicts, betrayals, threats, or a
twist ending.

In fact, the areas of imporvement can be both positive and

negative since there are people who favor different types of
movies. For those who love the simplicity or are suffering from
stress, Little Forest is for you. If you are living in the demanding
and fast-paced world, the movie will refresh your mind and
grant you a chance to reflect on your life. The movie can be
watched by anyone despite age, sex, or nationality. It is a great
healing movie that will soothe you and decompress your stress.
I would also expressly recommend this movie to the ones who
are not living in Korea because it pleasingly illustrates Korea’s
traditional as well as fusion foods.

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