A married poet meets a teenage boy working at a donut shop and helplessly develops feelings for him, in the latest from Kim Yang-hee.
Helmed by rising Korean director Kim Yang-hee, The Poet and the Boy casts a gentle look at what lies beneath the surface of long-standing relationships, and how easily gusts of passion or poetry can tip everything off balance.
A poet (Yang Ik-june) in his late thirties lives on the quiet Jeju Island. He's lucky enough to be able to practice his art while living off of his hardworking wife. He's led an untroubled and uneventful life, and his fuel for inspiration is running out. One day, he meets a handsome young man (Jung Ga-ram) working at the local donut shop. Suddenly, life is no longer the same. Emotional turmoil catches him by surprise and brings to the surface a side he had never known. This revelation triggers his art, allowing him to mature as a writer.
Yang Ik-june, best known as the director and lead actor of 2008's Breathless, delivers a brilliant performance as the timid poet, a character very different from the ugly and ferocious debt collector of his debut film.
Like the delectable donut that led the poet to his sudden awakening, this film will inspire, raising questions about the meaning of poetry, art, and life. Kim's quiet and bittersweet film will accompany you long after its last poetic verse.
GIOVANNA FULVI