Movie review: The Cat Funeral

Hi, all!

I promised to post my favorite runway picks last week, but work suddenly got hectic and I couldn’t post. Sorry 😦 I’m now back, not with my runway picks (I have to re-arrange my favorites) but with a movie review.

The Cat Funeral (고양이 장례식)

Year: 2015

Running time: 107 minutes

Main cast: Kang In, Park Se-Young

How did I find this movie? I was randomly browsing the cast of a few K-dramas I’d been following and stumbled upon Park Se-Young’s profile. I saw “The Cat Funeral” in her filmography list, and the title intrigued me. I decided to search for it and got the movie.

It’s the story of a former couple who reunite for their cat’s funeral. The cat, Gureum, is the axis of the whole story. She was adopted by the couple back when they lived together. Kang In plays Dong Hoon, an indie musician, while Park Se-Young plays Jae Hee, an illustrator/graphic designer.

The couple wanted to bury Gureum’s ashes somewhere far, a place they both visited when they were still in a relationship, so they took a trip together. It was full of “are you still into me?” “didn’t you dump me?”, so it was humorous yet sad at the same time.

The film goes back and forth, between the past and the present. As viewers, we were guided through their story: how they first met, how they got into a relationship, how the relationship started to fall part, and how, in the end, the relationship ended. We also see how their reunion was awkward and that both were uncomfortable, yet comfortable, with each other’s presence.

Dong Hoon & Jae Hee’s first meeting after a year apart.

Gureum, on which the plot is centered.

The movie takes the viewers on a ride through a relationship. We all are guided through what started as a loving relationship, and how things eventually didn’t work out for the couple. It’s a movie featuring a perspective on why relationships don’t work, on why relationships end.

And, in the center of this, was Gureum, a lovely cat who bonded Dong Hoon and Jae Hee together. Both of them bonded over caring for stray cats, so it was normal that they would take in a stray cat when one found its way to their house.

Gureum’s ashes and her personal belongings. This scene made me cry a river.

The film used minimal music to convey the emotions. When music played, however, it featured acoustic guitar strings conveying a sense of happiness and sadness. The songs were all bittersweet. The tone and rhythm sounded happy, yet it sent a sad feeling.

In a way, the film might seem like it lacks emotion, but I somehow sensed strong emotions. The emotionless states the couple showed to each other looked like an obvious defense. It was a “You think I wouldn’t survive with you?”-type of thing. An obvious contrast to the scenes featuring the couple when they were still in a relationship.

This powerful scene showed the phase where the little family was at their utmost loving.

Them parting hit the heart quite hard.

One thing I realized was that all this happened in autumn. Autumn is the season of transition, the season of change. They ended their relationship in autumn and went on with their lives. A year later, they meet again to bury their cat. Does autumn represent the change they’re experiencing in their lives?

Overall, this was a beautiful movie. I would imagine that some people would consider it as blunt, but I like blunt movies. They convey the strongest emotions/feelings that are more relatable to real life. In today’s language, they send you the feels.

I wouldn’t recommend it if you search for happy endings. This isn’t the cheesy lovey-dovey love story about falling back in love. Rather, it is discovering why you fell out of love with someone. And since it’s a film about searching and discovering, when you reach the conclusion, it wouldn’t be a grand one. It would be some kind of “Oh.. yeah.. that’s true”. It gives you the feeling of wanting to cry but you aren’t sad enough to cry but you aren’t happy enough to be happy.

Loves!

Fashion Inspiration: Gretta James

Hi, everyone!

Fashion weeks have been going on to showcase the Spring 2017 trend. I don’t usually follow the trend, because it’s tiring to have to update your wardrobe every 6 months or so. Moreover, I live in a tropical country, so the only wardrobe change that occurs is from super light jacket during the dry season to rainy coats during the we season.

Also, although I don’t follow much of the trend, in the end I’ll be following the trend (and so do people around me; including you, dear reader). In store, clothes’ designs follow the trend. So, we somehow buy what’s in and not buy what’s out, and that’s due to what’s available in store. However, classics are always sold in many stores; and, getting older (and having to budget my spending because I now work and I don’t ask money from my parents anymore), I now tend to choose classic pieces rather than the trendiest ones.

So, one of my favorite blogs, A Pair & A Spare, launched a new series on Wardrobe Rehab. which is very interesting considering how badly I need a wardrobe rehab. I mean, I just found out I own 10 white tops, 5 of them in a so-so to bad condition. I also helped a friend do a wardrobe update and got to look at wardrobe essential lists in Pinterest. Aaaand, I found this article recently, about building a capsule wardrobe, which is useful for me!

Having a capsule wardrobe will force me to not buy new, unnecessary clothes every time sale season comes along. Among many articles on building the wardrobe, I found that the first steps involve finding your own style.

I would consider my style as trousers + some smart looking top. I like trousers that aren’t long, something that floats just above the ankle, or above. And dresses, of course.

Next would be finding the inspiration, so I want to talk about this particular inspiration in this post.

Keira Knightley in “Begin Again”

Keira Knightley, in my opinion, is an amazing actress. I’ve seen her in “Pride & Prejudice”, “Pirates of the Caribbean”, “Never Let Me Go”, and “Begin Again”, among other films. I watched “Begin Again” in 2013 and was immediately drawn to her simple, no-fuss style. Building my first capsule wardrobe, I’ll definitely take her as my style inspiration. Her style can be worn in the office, hanging out with friends, to family gatherings… I just love it.

Wide trousers with folded hems and loafers are the best combination, in my opinion, as they are stylish yet comfortable. I’ve been wearing this type of trousers to office for some time now, using oxford shoes instead of loafers. I haven’t found the exact style of loafers that look good on me (OK, I did, but they didn’t have my size 😦 ).

What I also like in this movie were the tops that she wore. The simple, comfortable, yet chic. Tucked in to create a more sophisticated look, out loose to create a more casual look. The versatility of these tops would do well to my capsule collection!

And it doesn’t have to be wide trousers… Like, boyfriend jeans or slim trousers can do the trick, as long as the hem is folded. Considering I already have the trousers, collecting new items such as tops and loafers wouldn’t be that much of a burden.

I mean, I do have those kind of tops, but most are long-sleeved and most are more than 2 years old, with the threads going out, creating this “furry” look on a smooth surface. No, it doesn’t look good. It basically screams “you need to throw me!”.

Aaand the dresses! Her dresses are flowy, not too short but not too long; not too revealing but not too closed, and says a lot about her confidence. Yes yes yes ❤

There’s something about crop tops and high waist trousers that just appeals to me. Or tucked in over-sized shirts. I’ll be building my wardrobe collection around this theme, with Gretta as my inspiration.

Next week, I’ll talk about my favorite looks from the runways 🙂

Love! ❤