At the age of 30, director KIM Bo-ram decides to quit her job as a reporter to pursue her lifelong dream of making documentaries. The most urgent task for her is to find a place of her own so that she could move out of her father’s house. However, as far as she is concerned, ‘independence’ does not simply mean living alone and supporting oneself without parental help. For her, the price of independence comes with the anxiety that she may be only one falling behind. Also, she fears whether she should be able to achieve true happiness after abandoning her stable career to do something she has always wanted. To be independent, she must find a way to keep her spirits up and remain firm with her choice. The question of whether one could be truly happy by going for his or her dreams may sound clichéd or even immature. Nevertheless, the journey to find an answer to these questions in Shall We Talk? is serious and wholehearted. The director’s sister is married to a man with a stable job who plans to buy a house one day, while her mother enjoys the life of a farmer in the countryside.

It is impossible to judge which one of the two choices is right or wrong, and likewise her decision to begin a new life in a shabby room should be respected. Perhaps true independence means trying one’s best and not being deceitful no matter what path one chooses to follow. In this respect, I wish to share this film with those in their 20s and 30s, torn between money and happiness that comes from doing what they truly want, as well as grown-ups who still remember the choices they made long ago.

Furthermore, the film leaves us with yet another question; could “the act of filming” itself be the proof of someone’s existence? (PARK Hye-mi)​