Film restoration is a beautiful art form.
Resurrecting a potentially lost film can increase the representation of marginalized communities and uncover unexpectedly explored concepts in film history. Traveling through film history can be a form of personal reflection for many filmmakers and cinephiles. Seeing your anxieties examined in a film decades older can feel rewarding. This exploration is at the heart of Shin Su-won’s latest film, Hommage.
The film follows Ji-wan (Lee Jung-eun), a struggling filmmaker assigned to restore a classic 1960’s Korean film from the first known female Korean filmmaker. Ji-wan’s restoration and investigation efforts are Hommage’s biggest strengths. The implications and urgency behind restoring the film are clear, not just for Ji-wan, but also for the director’s legacy. It was exciting to see Ji-wan slowly learn more about how producers and censorship suppressed the director. Anchored by a solid performance by Lee Jung-eun, the investigation was intriguing to follow. Unfortunately, the filmmakers weren’t as interested in this story as I was.
In addition to following Ji-wan’s quest, Shin Su-won also explores Ji-wan’s personal life; sadly, these are the film’s weakest elements. Often slow, the writing hits every cliche you’d expect from a film exploring a struggling filmmaker. Rough marriage, financial stress, no recognition, the film hits the beats without adding anything new. I get that the filmmaker wants to parallel Ji-wan’s life with the director’s life she’s learning more about, but the parallels don’t hold up well. The slower pacing of the scenes makes the film feel uneven. Subplots are at times forgotten or utterly unnecessary to the overall narrative.
Hommage is an uneven film that feels like a missed opportunity to explore a fascinating investigation with grand implications. Struggling directors may find elements of her personal story relatable, but the scenes are unevenly paced and predictable compared to the restoration plot line. I don’t think Ji-wan’s personal life shouldn’t be touched on or even examined, but the director gave too much attention to the film’s least interesting aspect. Still the film’s investigation is compelling, and the strong performances do make the film worth watching. I hope that viewers who can relate to Ji-wan’s story are able to take more out of the film than I did.