Futureless Things

Futureless Things was a film that piqued my interest, but at the same time confused me as well. It plays out differently from the usual love stories that K-dramas that I have been exposed to as well as Train to Busan, which is the only other Korean film that I have seen. The everyday feeling from the setting mainly be in the convenience store made me expect something crazy or wild to happen. At one point in the film, where the DJ had a supernatural experience with the lady with the box, I thought that the film was going to turn into some sort of horror movie. However, what happened was the opposite – the film highlighted the different mundane experiences and interactions between the clerk on duty and their customers while being able to show bits and pieces of their personalities, problems and aspirations at the same time, which allowed me to somewhat relate and empathize with them.

What I found the most interesting in the film was the different characters shown and how in the bigger picture, they could be considered the futureless things that the movie is titled after. This can be seen in the clerk that missed his audition due to having to man the convenience store would be stuck in his job as a clerk instead of reaching his dreams as an actor, the North Korean lady that was discriminated and harassed, and even the clerk that was simply trying to converse in English. These clerks are trying to achieve their dreams and become more than what they currently are. However, the movie shows that being a clerk is not something that is so easy that you can do it while trying to achieve your dreams. In fact, it can even hinder you from your dreams. (i.e. the guy who was unable to go to his audition because he had to man the store).

I feel like to a certain extent, the film is able to humanize the characters and show that the clerks we usually do not mind and interact with have their own dreams and aspirations. No one really wants to be a clerk, but it is something that is necessary for convenience stores to run. Because of this, people who need money or cannot find a better job apply to be clerks whist they still try to work towards their dreams. Even if it was not the film’s main intention or point, by showing the different interactions and problems of the clerks, the film was able to open my eyes and make me feel more and understand that these clerks usually have their own dreams that is outside of being a clerk. Unlike other service industries like restaurants or hotels, where the servers might stay for a long time in an attempt to reach a more executive position like becoming the manager, being a clerk is usually capped at that – being a clerk. Because of this, I think there is a similarity in the fact that people also usually go in and out of a convenience store quickly, and the fact that the clerks might also simply go in and become a clerk for a time until they are able to find something better to do. Maybe that’s why the film is titled Futureless Things – there is no future in being a clerk in a convenience store, it is simply capped at being a clerk in and of itself.