Seoul: Sound engineer Seong-hyeon (Kim Cheol-yoon) finds his solitary life disrupted when he is offered a challenging post-synchronization project for a film. This film, shot a year earlier, is complicated by the fact that its lead actress, Mi-jeong (Park Seo-yoon), has since passed away. There are no records of Mi-jeong's ad-libbed dialogue, and the on-set audio is indistinct, leaving her final words a mystery.
According to Yonhap News Agency, an unknown actress, Min-young (Kim Ye-ji), is brought in as a voice double to recreate Mi-jeong's lines. However, the director (Son Joon-young) fails to appear for the session, leaving Seong-hyeon and Min-young to work in solitude. Together, they embark on a meticulous quest within the studio to rediscover Mi-jeong's voice, driven by Min-young's belief that understanding the woman behind the role is crucial to finding the right words.
The narrative of "Humming" unfolds around the unresolved questions of Mi-jeong's last words and the reason behind her suicide, yet the film offers no conclusive answers. While these questions may seem central, the film deliberately avoids resolution, leaving Mi-jeong's final line a mystery and casting doubt on the notion that she was truly overwhelmed by despair. The director's sparse appearances further blur the distinction between reality and a dreamlike state.
If viewed as narrative devices, these elements transform "Humming" into a meditation on memory and loss. The film traverses the boundary between past and present, exploring the longing for a loved one and the void left by their absence. In this context, the specifics of Mi-jeong's final words or the cause of her death become insignificant.
The film poignantly captures this sorrow through the metaphor of "humming," representing the act of remembering and softly echoing a melody once hummed by someone who is gone. The performances stand out, especially Park Seo-yoon's portrayal of Mi-jeong, which earned her the Actor of the Year Award at the 29th Busan International Film Festival in 2024. Park breathes life into her character, a high school student, with a quiet vibrancy that contrasts with the film's restrained tone. Kim Cheol-yoon's portrayal of Seong-hyeon offers a calm, introspective presence that complements Mi-jeong's energy.
Director Lee Seung-jae's debut feature film opens in local theaters on Wednesday.