Aspiring musician Dong-hoon and cartoon artist Jae-hee raised pet cat, Gooreumi whilst living together. It’s been over a year since their break-up and the sad news that Gooreumi has passed brings the two ex-lovers into a second shot scenario as they put their differences aside to bury their beloved cat.
An easy-watch and charming tale of the sad demise of a pet cat that brings together the owners who have an unspoken history. The story follows their journey from the very first time they met through to their break up whilst the couple try to find the perfect burial spot for their cat. Slowly paced and anxiously gripping in the final scenes, Cat Funeral alludes to the idea of second-chances and inspiring hope where things seem hopeless.
Super Junior’s Kangin plays silent type Dong-hoon who seems to express more in the medium of music than he does through dialogue. Once passionate about becoming a singer-songwriter, the character of Dong-hoon becomes deflated as life’s matters becoming more pressing. Jae-hee played by Park Se-young facilitates the idea of moving in together despite traditional Dong-hoon’s reproach that it could make her ‘unsuitable for marriage’ should they ever split up. She is a bigger presence on screen than her counterpart which makes her seem somewhat arrogant and insensitive.
The twenty-something year old leads are equally limp in substance and drive as their end-goals aren’t clear, especially during the present day scenes. Characters need explicit dreams and goals and this convention is even more crucial in this genre of film where the plot is slow-paced and intimate. Dong-hoon struggles to find the motivation to finish his first album even with the producer on his back about the record deal. There is no justification why he can’t finish it when, throughout the story, we are under the impression that is all the character has dreamed of. Watch until the end to find out why Jae-hee also falls under this category and regrettably so. Despite the lack of character care and gripping plot points, Cat Funeral has a resolving finale that does shake things up in the midst. Plus, the cat is really cute.
Director: Lee Jong-hoon
Cast: Kangin, Park Se-young, Jung Gyu-woon
Watch if you loved Right Now, Wrong Then.
Check out the trailer!
