Take Care of My Cat, Jeong Jae-eun (2001)

This Korean film would most certainly be classified as a “coming of age” film. The narrative mainly follows three recent high-school graduates as they all respectively struggle to find their place in society and maintain their friendships with one another. The three girls all represent different female archetypes: the moody sensitive loner, the free-spirited wanderer, and the materialistic, wealthy one. The film is centered in the metropolitan city of Incheon, an international business center and home to over two million people. Director Jeong Jae-eun very purposefully uses the setting of Incheon and its varied environment to characterize the unique situation of each girl. For example Ji-Young, the loner, occupies a depressing ramshackle apartment in an industrial port area—mirroring her feelings of hopelessness and isolation and simultaneously demonstrating the real-life problem of industrialization in Incheon. Tae-Hee is repeatedly shown on moving busses and trains, illustrating her curious and restless nature and also signifying the vast labyrinth Incheon has become. Hae-Joo, the competitive one, is frequently shown in an office building at her computer, representing the corporate boom in Korea and changing global economy. This film is incredibly contemporary and is so much about feeling “lost” in a rapidly changing part of the world.
That cat of the title functions to reiterate the instability and uncertainty of all the girls. Throughout the film, each of the main characters acquires the cat until they realize they are ill-equipped to care for it. Instead of getting rid of the cat altogether, they simply pass it around. The cat also seems to represent the girls’ wavering dedication to the friendship—like the cat, it is not something they want to do away with, yet also do not want to put time and care into. The title “Take Care of My Cat” may be taken in the context of this film to rather mean “Give me Stabilty” or “Keep Me in Your Life.” Ultimately,none of the trio can hold on to the cat, thus signaling a bittersweet break with the past, comfort and safety and gives way to a path of unknowns and unforseen opportunities.