Fourteen-year-old Eunhee has little comfort in life, whether at middle school (actual teacher quote: “We die every day”), with her tense family, or among fickle friends and crushes. She finds unexpected solace when she gets a new Chinese tutor: Youngji, a gentle, independent woman who recognizes Eunhee’s acute loneliness and confusion. House of Hummingbird—Bora Kim’s debut film set in the outskirts of 1990s Seoul—explores the teenager’s relationships rather than following a single narrative. Though we focus on Eunhee, played by an incredibly natural Ji-hu Park, every character seems to be hiding an inner universe, and we’re soon invested in the friendships, loves, and heartbreaks of this parochial world.
House of Hummingbird screens tonight and tomorrow morning at the 45th Seattle International Film Festival. For a breakdown of what’s showing these last few days of SIFF (which closes on Sunday night), visit The Stranger’s SIFF site.
