In Between Days was a low budget, independent film that brilliantly portrayed a teenage girl’s awkward friendship with a boy and difficulty in assimilating to her new life in Canada. Loosely based on director Kim So Young’s own experience moving from Busan, Korea to California, USA at the age of 12 and the difficulties she faced trying to fit in. The budget for the film was $60,000 so there were few sets and much of the teens’ conversations took place in the icy winter outdoors, apartments, or buses in Toronto.

Aimie and Tran are best friends, but Aimie has developed a serious crush on her buddy. Tran says he just wants to be friends, but by that he seems to mean, friends with benefits. Aimie isn’t comfortable with the sexual experimentation but is also curious about it. Unable to voice their true feelings and wants to each other, they alternately withdraw and show attention to others which only causes more problems for them.

Aimie’s mother works long hours and is emotionally remote from her. The mom has no idea what Aimie is doing or how she is feeling. Aimie’s father left them, and she misses him terribly while also being upset with him. She also misses her extended family, made worse by her mother not being available most of the time as well.

Most of the conversations between Aimie and Tran were in Korean. Whether in English or Korean, Aimie and Tran had trouble communicating with each other and often used jealousy to get the other’s attention or to hurt the other. Teenage years can be awkward and isolating for anyone, but transplanting to a new world only intensified those feelings. Both Aimie and Tran struggled with their emotions, so much was new and they were unsure of how to handle the uncomfortable spaces between them. When she and Tran spent less time together, the frozen winter felt especially cold and lonely.

Director Kim kept the camera tight on Aimie and Tran’s faces, never letting the audience escape the painful, embarrassing, and disconcerting moments. Like most teens grappling and fumbling with unfamiliar emotions and biological urges, they were afraid of being rejected. Both had a sense of needing to belong, made worse by a limited community. Aimie and Tran didn’t want to lose what they had but also maybe wanted something more. This film was the first job for both actors and their performances were natural. Jiseon Kim was able to convey complex emotions quite well. Andy Kang acted like a typical teenage boy unwilling to show his emotions for fear of giving too much away.

In Between Days was a bittersweet coming of age film with all of the euphoria, bumbling efforts, and heartache that entails. Like so many films in this genre, there was no true ending, just a step toward another chapter for a girl seeking to find her place in the world and coming to terms with her own feelings and desires.

19 June 2024