Fukuoka (2020): A dreamlike journey through lingering regrets
2020 • Zhang Lu • 1.85:1 • Jump to Gallery ↓
Fukuoka, directed by Zhang Lu, follows the owner of a small second-hand bookstore who travels to the city with a mysterious young woman. She encourages him to seek out an old friend from university. The two men were once close, but fell out 28 years ago after becoming involved with the same woman. Their reunion forces old resentments and unresolved feelings to resurface.
This quiet, dreamlike travel drama simply follows three characters as they wander through Fukuoka, spending time in bookshops, bars and on the streets, where conversations gradually reveal fragments of their shared history. Park So-dam plays the catalyst, a strange woman who seems to know more than she should about the men’s past while experiencing something strange and slightly surreal herself.
With the camera acting as a phantom fourth person, bringing us into scenes through long, unbroken takes with natural lighting, Fukuoka blends melancholic longing with light-hearted absurdity. It’s a slightly off-kilter yet still charming trip to Japan.
Technical Specs:
- The Story: A middle-aged man living quietly in Fukuoka is unsettled when an old friend suddenly reappears in his life, bringing with him unresolved feelings and a mysterious young woman whose presence gradually disrupts their fragile emotional equilibrium.
- Actors: Kwon Hae-hyo, Yoon Je-moon, Park So-dam, Yuki Yamamoto.
- Director: Zhang Lu
- Year: 2020
- Cinematographer: Park Jung-hun
- Origin: Korean Cinema
- Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
- Genre: Drama
