An adaptation of the same-titled novel by HWANG Sok-yong. Hyun-woo passed 17 years in prison after the political dark age of 80s. Now that he gets released, Seoul is an unfamiliar city. He remembers Yoon-hee who had given him a refuge when he was a run-away. Two of them spent happy moments in a remote countryside. However, the grim reality separated them and sent him to jail. The later half of the film is about her living him Seoul waiting for Hyun-woo to be released from prison. Yoon-hee character running a private art school helping students’ political organizations reflects the director IM Sang-soo’s own feminist view to depict 1980s in new light. After a long reflection of Hyun-woo’s past, The Old Garden ends with the scene he meets his daughter. His daughter representing the new generation and him with his past lost in vain, their encounter is a metaphor where past and present meet. A long story told so far has been for this moment. (LEE Sang-yong)