House of Hummingbird

House of Hummingbird digs deep beneath the shine and luster of the rapidly industrializing Seoul of the ’90s and focuses on the cracks that were beginning to form under the surface.

Seoul, 1994… While the city is rapidly expanding, Seongsu Bridge collapse in the same year. In this chaos of construction and destruction, an alone 14-year-old girl, Eun-hee, is searching for a hummingbird for a taste of sweetness wherever she may find it. With the lack of attention from her family, she roams the neighborhood with her best friend and attempts romantic relationships with boys and girls. When Young-ji, the new teacher, arrives, Eun-hee feels that she is the first adult who really understands her.

The first feature of Bora Kim is defined as a ‘touching coming-of-age drama’ and the director tries to address the themes of growing up, education, family and society by putting the city in the background.

“My hope is that House of Hummingbird will evoke in audiences memories of their own journeys through life and that they see the grace of constant searching.”

Shirley Clarke