Synopsis

​ Howard is trapped in a marriage that isn't working: he's a domineering, emotionless husband and his wife Evelyn is an unhappy, insecure housewife. He buys her a cuckoo clock from an antique shop where a free-spirited woman named Gloria works. As their relationship is pushed to its limits and a new attraction develops between Evelyn and Gloria, they realize that there is more to the wooden cuckoo than meets the eye.

Program Note

​ Living as a pale doll in a household dominated by her authoritative husband, Evelyn's monotonous life takes a colorful turn when Gloria delivers a cuckoo clock to her door. With antique hairstyles, costumes, the movie's mise-en-scene creates an allegorical space that transports us to a bygone era. The bold intrusion of Gloria into Evelyn's household unveils the breathtaking hierarchy and hidden tensions of this bourgeois family. The young director displays a keen ability to portray psychological tension between the characters within the enclosed space. Moreover, sensory soundscapes heighten the film's dramatic action. (Maeng Soojin)

Director

• 
  • Park Hyunji
  • Born in Jecheon in 1999, Park Hyunji graduated from the Film Department at Goldsmiths, University of London. She is attending the graduate program in film Studies at Goldsmiths, University of London. Shhas directed several short films, including Cuckoo, When Joana Loved Me(2021), Baraye(2022), and In the Blink of an Eye(2023). Currently residing in London, she is in the process of producing a film titled Can I Just Say Something inspired by the story of her own Korean family.