Take Care of My Cat
Unspoken, unrealized, unexpected
Maybe it’s the Postal Service-esque opening song (two years before Postal Service released an album) of Take Care of My Cat (2001) or the cinematic device of a cell phone overlay for an LCD Nokia candybar phone (the earliest use of this method of showing the audience what’s on the phone?), but I was hit by wave after wave of nostalgia throughout this film. Computer monitors that take up half the desk, internet cafes, and cats. The early aughts had it all! I was in high school in 2001, bright-eyed, only partly jaded, and generally aware of the world around me. Take Care of My Cat has me wondering if the zeitgeist is a stronger force in the universe than I had imagined, and if I were to start digging into all manner of entertainment from my high school years if I would hear the same siren song that I hear when I watch this film; coaxing me to live in the past, to reach out to old friends, to break out my cd collection, or to blow a bunch of money on a liberal arts degree.
Korean cinema (and entertainment in general) has been on a tear as of late: in no small part because of Bong Joon Ho’s world-conquering masterpiece, and if you like movies you’ve probably seen at least one or two by Park Chan-Wook, but if you dig into Korean films you’ll find the depth you would expect from a culturally rich country that has been experimenting with the form for as long as the US. And like the US, you’ll have to dig very deep to find the films the ladies make.
Take Care of My Cat unfolds with the languid pace of a summer afternoon, showing the interconnected lives of five young women on the cusp of adulthood in the South Korean port city of Incheon. Having just graduated high school, they struggle to maintain their close bonds as their paths diverge. Career ambitions, family conflicts, and the quiet heartaches of growing up threaten to sever the ties that once seemed unbreakable.
At the center of the story is Hae-joo, the most ambitious of the bunch. Eager to escape her small-town life, she lands a coveted job at a brokerage firm in Seoul. However, the cutthroat world of finance proves disillusioning, and she struggles to adapt to the male-dominated corporate culture and stifling impositions of a demanding job. Meanwhile, Ji-young, once the life of the party of their group, becomes withdrawn and introspective after a personal tragedy. Finding solace in the company of a stray cat, she grapples with grief and a sense of isolation. Bi-ryo and Ohn-jo, twin sisters, are a constant source of support and amusement. Bi-ryo, the more outgoing twin, dreams of escaping their dead-end jobs and traveling the world. Ohn-jo, quieter and more artistic, aspires to be a painter but faces pressure from their family to pursue a more practical career path. Last but not least, we meet Tae-hee, the most grounded member of the group. She works at her family's sauna while volunteering as a typist for a poet with cerebral palsy. She dreams of a future where she can pursue her own creative endeavors.
Director Jeong Jae-eun paints a bittersweet portrait of friendship. The camera lingers on quiet moments: shared meals, whispered secrets on rooftops, and aimless walks along the waterfront. The bustling city of Incheon is its own character, sometimes promising opportunities, at other times feeling suffocating and inescapable. The film finds its power in the accumulation of small, keenly observed details. A missed phone call, a hasty goodbye, a shared popsicle on a stifling afternoon – these understated moments reveal the subtle shifts that occur in long-term friendships, especially in the somehow creeping yet rapid transition from young adulthood into adulthood. All of this is set to a score that feels ahead of its time. (See aforementioned Postal Service reference.)
Take Care of My Cat is a movie for those of us who have experienced the joy and sadness of navigating long-term friendships. It's a film about the desire for connection, about striving to carve one's own path in a world teeming with expectations, and about the enduring, if sometimes complicated, bonds of sisterhood. Jeong Jae-eun's film is a quiet triumph – an ode to friendships that shape and sustain us, even as life pulls us in different directions. Directions like the University of Phoenix: a great place to form memories that you’ll never forget.
In one early scene, Ji-young asks Hae-joo to care for a cat she found. This seemingly simple request carries unexpected burdens as Ji-young withdraws further from the group. The cat itself becomes a catalyst, a reminder of unspoken promises, and a symbol of the fragility beneath the surface of carefree youth.
Take Care of My Cat
Written by Jeong Jae-eun, Kim Hyeon-jeong, and Lee Eon-hie; Directed by Jeong Jae-eun,
2001
112 minutes
Korean
Recommended way to watch (at time of publication): Streaming on Hoopla (Free with a local library card)
You’ll like this if you like: Frances Ha (2012), Ghost World (2001), Lady Bird (2017)