You’d be forgiven for not having seen every Hong Sangsoo movie. The South Korean director, known for films like “On the Beach at Night Alone,” “Claire’s Camera,” and “The Novelist’s Film” has released 29 features, and often more than one in the same year. So was the case for 2023, which saw the festival circuit premieres of “In Water” and “In Our Day.” And as of writing, Hong already has another movie that premiered at the Berlinale, “A Traveller’s Needs.” A new Hong movie is always a pleasure to celebrate, and so IndieWire shares the exclusive trailer for “In Our Day” ahead of the upcoming release from Cinema Guild. Watch below.
Here’s the synopsis for the film:
Sangwon (Kim Minhee), an actress recently returned to South Korea, is temporarily staying with her friend, Jungsoo (Song Sunmi), and her cat, Us. Elsewhere in the city, the aging poet Hong Uiju (Ki Joobong) lives alone,...
Here’s the synopsis for the film:
Sangwon (Kim Minhee), an actress recently returned to South Korea, is temporarily staying with her friend, Jungsoo (Song Sunmi), and her cat, Us. Elsewhere in the city, the aging poet Hong Uiju (Ki Joobong) lives alone,...
- 4/15/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
As some of the lists of the previous years were not on par with the ones we have been publishing lately, we decided to take a closer look at some of the years that were not as covered at the time. In that fashion, here is a list with the 50 of the Best Asian movies of 2015, in completely random order.
1. Monster Hunt
Raman Hui evidently shot a film to indulge every demographic category in the country. In that fashion, the movie entails elements of RPGs, comics, martial arts, comedy, musicals, romance, some drama and a plethora of action scenes. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
on Amazon by clicking on the image below 2. Spl 2: A Time for Consequences
The action scenes are magnificent, with Tony Jaa as Chatchai and Wu Jing as Kit giving their best selves. Furthermore, the film excels in the technical department, both in cinematography and special effects,...
1. Monster Hunt
Raman Hui evidently shot a film to indulge every demographic category in the country. In that fashion, the movie entails elements of RPGs, comics, martial arts, comedy, musicals, romance, some drama and a plethora of action scenes. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
on Amazon by clicking on the image below 2. Spl 2: A Time for Consequences
The action scenes are magnificent, with Tony Jaa as Chatchai and Wu Jing as Kit giving their best selves. Furthermore, the film excels in the technical department, both in cinematography and special effects,...
- 4/1/2024
- by AMP Group
- AsianMoviePulse
Hong Sangsoo’s A Traveler’s Needs and Mati Diop’s Dahomey earned strong average scores on Screen’s Berlin jury grid, while Bruno Dumont’s The Empire divided critics.
A Traveler’s Needs stars Isabelle Huppert as a French woman teaching in Korea and is currently on an average of 2.9, with one score still to come (from Paolo Bertolin from cinematografo.it). Screen’s own critic awarded it four stars (excellent), while three critics gave it three stars (good) and three gave it two (average).
Click on the jury grid above for the most up-to-date version.
The score is currently slighter...
A Traveler’s Needs stars Isabelle Huppert as a French woman teaching in Korea and is currently on an average of 2.9, with one score still to come (from Paolo Bertolin from cinematografo.it). Screen’s own critic awarded it four stars (excellent), while three critics gave it three stars (good) and three gave it two (average).
Click on the jury grid above for the most up-to-date version.
The score is currently slighter...
- 2/20/2024
- ScreenDaily
This review of “In Front of Your Face” was first published May 7 after its NYC opening.
In the opening moments of “In Front of Your Face,” the tender, moving drama from the great South Korean director Hong Sang-soo (“On the Beach at Night Alone”), a woman named Sangok (Lee Hye-young) wakes up on the couch of her sister’s apartment. She touches her own thigh, then her stomach.
It’s a subtle, passing moment, one that in another context might amount to nothing. But what follows her moment of body consciousness feels relevant, if somewhat mysterious: a form of self-guided meditation, as Sangok’s thoughts become voiceover. “Everything I see before me is grace… There is no tomorrow… This moment right now is paradise.”
It’s a prayer of some sort, with more to follow, and in Hong’s spare world of quiet, muted characters, this type of ambiguous interior...
In the opening moments of “In Front of Your Face,” the tender, moving drama from the great South Korean director Hong Sang-soo (“On the Beach at Night Alone”), a woman named Sangok (Lee Hye-young) wakes up on the couch of her sister’s apartment. She touches her own thigh, then her stomach.
It’s a subtle, passing moment, one that in another context might amount to nothing. But what follows her moment of body consciousness feels relevant, if somewhat mysterious: a form of self-guided meditation, as Sangok’s thoughts become voiceover. “Everything I see before me is grace… There is no tomorrow… This moment right now is paradise.”
It’s a prayer of some sort, with more to follow, and in Hong’s spare world of quiet, muted characters, this type of ambiguous interior...
- 5/13/2022
- by Dave White
- The Wrap
South Korean director Hong Sang-soo has long been associated with quiet dramas, exploring human relationships and interactions through naturalistic dialogue, set in the world of narcissistic arthouse directors, starstruck actresses and lots and lots of alcohol-fueled rants and teary confessions to punctuate the more low-key proceedings. His 2015 film, “Right Now, Wrong Then”, doesn’t do much to stray from this setup but once again, spins his preoccupation with love and fidelity into interesting new directions.
on Amazon
Renowned filmmaker Ham Chun-su (Jung Jae-young) arrives in Suwon a day early for a screening of one of his films. While passing the time he notices a young woman (Kim Min-hee) and is immediately smitten with her beauty. Later, as he’s sitting by a temple, he sees her again and decides to strike up a conversation. The woman, Yoon Hee-jung, knows who he is when he introduces himself and...
on Amazon
Renowned filmmaker Ham Chun-su (Jung Jae-young) arrives in Suwon a day early for a screening of one of his films. While passing the time he notices a young woman (Kim Min-hee) and is immediately smitten with her beauty. Later, as he’s sitting by a temple, he sees her again and decides to strike up a conversation. The woman, Yoon Hee-jung, knows who he is when he introduces himself and...
- 5/10/2022
- by Fred Barrett
- AsianMoviePulse
Released in 2017, “On the Beach at Night Alone” is likely the most personal work both its director, Hong Sang-soo, and its star, Kim Min-hee, have been involved in during their respective decades-long careers. As such, the real-life circumstances which informed the film are impossible to ignore: after working on Hong’s 2015 film “Right Now, Wrong Then”, the married director and Kim began an affair, rumors of which caused controversy in South Korea. At the Seoul premiere of “On the Beach”, Hong finally admitted to the extramarital relationship. As a result, Kim lost endorsement deals and it was alleged that the affair was the reason why her talent agency, Management Soop, decided not to renew her contract. Moreover, the pair were ruthlessly pulled apart in the media of their home country, a nation where adultery was illegal until 2015.
on Amazon
Working through this tumultuous time of his life,...
on Amazon
Working through this tumultuous time of his life,...
- 4/30/2022
- by Fred Barrett
- AsianMoviePulse
There is a small but growing belief among critics that just as Hong Sangsoo inches toward legendary status his bit might finally be going stale. Whichever side one lands on (you shall find no mutiny here), it will always be hard to resist the calm, casual charms of a work like The Novelist’s Film: a story about the creative process, shot in soft black-and-white, and a mid-range addition that won the Grand Jury Silver Bear at the Berlinale—his most prestigious award to date.
Writers, poets, directors, film students, wacky zooms, plenty of booze—all, of course, are present and accounted for here. Anyone wise to Hong’s work will know the cues all too well; what’s sometimes more interesting is finding the breaks from the norm. Like in Right Now, Wrong Then, a film that increasingly looks like his defining masterpiece, spotting the variations is half the game.
Writers, poets, directors, film students, wacky zooms, plenty of booze—all, of course, are present and accounted for here. Anyone wise to Hong’s work will know the cues all too well; what’s sometimes more interesting is finding the breaks from the norm. Like in Right Now, Wrong Then, a film that increasingly looks like his defining masterpiece, spotting the variations is half the game.
- 2/28/2022
- by Rory O'Connor
- The Film Stage
Many of Hong Sang-soo’s films are structured around a woman’s solitary wanderings. The single ladies played by Kim Min-Hee in “On the Beach at Night Alone” or “The Woman Who Ran,” or Lee Hye-Young in “In Front of Your Face,” are free radicals, moving from encounter to encounter and disrupting the equilibrium of the people they meet, as meandering conversations reveal a friend’s dissatisfaction or a couple’s disagreement.
Continue reading ‘The Novelist’s Film’ Review: Hong Sang-Soo’s Latests Is Yet Another Charming, Focused Autofiction [Berlin] at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘The Novelist’s Film’ Review: Hong Sang-Soo’s Latests Is Yet Another Charming, Focused Autofiction [Berlin] at The Playlist.
- 2/19/2022
- by Mark Asch
- The Playlist
Sales also secured of upcoming horror ‘Contorted’ and Im Sang-soo’s ‘Heaven: To The Land Of Happiness’.
Korean sales agency Finecut has closed a raft of deals on three titles led by Hong Sangsoo’s The Novelist’s Film, which won the Berlinale’s Silver Bear grand jury prize yesterday.
The feature “racked up multiple deals as soon as it was announced as a Competition film at the 72nd Berlinale,” according to Finecut, selling to France (Arizona Films Distribution), Greece and Cyprus (Ama Films), Japan (Mimosa Films) and Spain (L’Atalante Cinema). A US deal with Cinema Guild was revealed last night.
Korean sales agency Finecut has closed a raft of deals on three titles led by Hong Sangsoo’s The Novelist’s Film, which won the Berlinale’s Silver Bear grand jury prize yesterday.
The feature “racked up multiple deals as soon as it was announced as a Competition film at the 72nd Berlinale,” according to Finecut, selling to France (Arizona Films Distribution), Greece and Cyprus (Ama Films), Japan (Mimosa Films) and Spain (L’Atalante Cinema). A US deal with Cinema Guild was revealed last night.
- 2/17/2022
- by Jean Noh
- ScreenDaily
While the Korean film business faces challenges, 2022 does offer a bumper crop of Korean movies from big-name filmmakers. Here are some of the best:
The Apartment With Two Women
(Finecut)
Kim-se In’s debut drama unspools in the Berlin Film Festival’s Panorama section.
Broker
(Cj Entertainment)
“Shoplifters” director Kore-eda Hirokazu examines the trade in children in his Korean-language film debut. With a stellar cast including Song Kang-ho, Gang Dong-won, Lee Ji-eun (aka Iu) and Bae Doo-na, it too is awaiting a high-profile festival launch.
Concrete Utopia
(Lotte Cultureworks)
A webtoon adaptation directed by Uhm Tae-hwa sees star Lee Byung-hun (“G.I. Joe”) as one of the few survivors of a massive earthquake that destroys Seoul. In post-production.
Decision to Leave
(Cj Entertainment)
Park Chan-wook directs Tang Wei in a tale of a detective falling in love with the prime suspect. Awaiting a prominent festival berth.
Hi5 (aka “Haipaibeu”)
(Next Entertainment World...
The Apartment With Two Women
(Finecut)
Kim-se In’s debut drama unspools in the Berlin Film Festival’s Panorama section.
Broker
(Cj Entertainment)
“Shoplifters” director Kore-eda Hirokazu examines the trade in children in his Korean-language film debut. With a stellar cast including Song Kang-ho, Gang Dong-won, Lee Ji-eun (aka Iu) and Bae Doo-na, it too is awaiting a high-profile festival launch.
Concrete Utopia
(Lotte Cultureworks)
A webtoon adaptation directed by Uhm Tae-hwa sees star Lee Byung-hun (“G.I. Joe”) as one of the few survivors of a massive earthquake that destroys Seoul. In post-production.
Decision to Leave
(Cj Entertainment)
Park Chan-wook directs Tang Wei in a tale of a detective falling in love with the prime suspect. Awaiting a prominent festival berth.
Hi5 (aka “Haipaibeu”)
(Next Entertainment World...
- 2/11/2022
- by Carole Horst
- Variety Film + TV
Making for the ideal winter viewing, Hong Sang-soo’s black-and-white drama Introduction––the first of two features to premiere on the festival circuit this year––will arrive stateside in January. His 25th feature also marks a major achievement for the prolific South Korean auteur, being his first as cinematographer. Ahead of the Jan. 21 release from Cinema Guild, we’re pleased to debut the exclusive trailer and poster.
In the film, Youngho (Shin Seokho) goes to see his father who is tending to a famous patient. He surprises his girlfriend, Juwon (Park Miso), in Berlin where she is studying fashion design. He goes to a seaside hotel to meet his mother and brings his friend Jeongsoo (Ha Seongguk) with him. In each instance, he anticipates an important conversation. But sometimes a shared look, or a shared smoke, can mean as much as anything we could say to those close to us.
In the film, Youngho (Shin Seokho) goes to see his father who is tending to a famous patient. He surprises his girlfriend, Juwon (Park Miso), in Berlin where she is studying fashion design. He goes to a seaside hotel to meet his mother and brings his friend Jeongsoo (Ha Seongguk) with him. In each instance, he anticipates an important conversation. But sometimes a shared look, or a shared smoke, can mean as much as anything we could say to those close to us.
- 12/17/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Hong Sangsoo characters have a habit of — you might even say a genius for — diffidence in the face of profundity. In that way, they’re very like the films in which they appear: outwardly casual, slight, polite, holding pain and truth and existential observation in check with an airy gesture, a sad smile or, in “In Front of Your Face,” the South Korean auteur’s second film this year (after the Berlin-awarded “Introduction”), an unexpected peal of utterly genuine, soul-repairing laughter.
Certainly, Sangok laughs at the strangest moments. A merry, musical gurgle bursts from her after she drunkenly shares her most painful secret — one she has not even confessed to her sister — with a relative stranger, whose sobbing response is much more appropriate. And again, at the very end of this wonderful, winsome tale, when the potentially important grace-note opportunity she’s been offered evaporates over a single phone message,...
Certainly, Sangok laughs at the strangest moments. A merry, musical gurgle bursts from her after she drunkenly shares her most painful secret — one she has not even confessed to her sister — with a relative stranger, whose sobbing response is much more appropriate. And again, at the very end of this wonderful, winsome tale, when the potentially important grace-note opportunity she’s been offered evaporates over a single phone message,...
- 7/25/2021
- by Jessica Kiang
- Variety Film + TV
Sean Gilman: I had a particularly Hongian experience as I readied myself to write this first dispatch to you, Evan, about Introduction. Right after finishing the movie, I took a brief nap. This is a regular part of my pre-writing process: the twenty minutes of calm and quiet help me organize my thoughts, and the dreaminess helps with my creativity. I had the whole thing planned and written out in my head. I assure you it was brilliant, funny and clever and insightful. Then when I woke up, I had forgotten all of it. Not just what I was going to write, but the movie itself was gone. I’ve been trying to piece it all back together over the past 24 hours, and in doing so I’ve been wondering if this is a bit like how Hong constructs his films in the first place. It’s well-documented that he...
- 3/15/2021
- MUBI
Feature is Hong’s fifth film in competition at the Berlinale and follows The Man Who Ran which won Silver Bear in 2020.
French production and distribution company Capricci has acquired French rights to Korean director Hong Sangsoo’s Golden Bear contender Introduction.
International sales are handled by Korean sales company Finecut which has been an active participant in the online EFM this year from its home city of Seoul.
The three-part film revolves around a young man visiting his father, lover and mother. It is Hong’s fifth film in competition at the Berlinale.
He won the Silver Bear in...
French production and distribution company Capricci has acquired French rights to Korean director Hong Sangsoo’s Golden Bear contender Introduction.
International sales are handled by Korean sales company Finecut which has been an active participant in the online EFM this year from its home city of Seoul.
The three-part film revolves around a young man visiting his father, lover and mother. It is Hong’s fifth film in competition at the Berlinale.
He won the Silver Bear in...
- 3/5/2021
- by Melanie Goodfellow¬Jean Noh
- ScreenDaily
Feature is Hong’s fifth film in competition at the Berlinale and follows The Man Who Ran which won Silver Bear in 2020.
French production and distribution company Capricci has acquired French rights to Korean director Hong Sangsoo’s Golden Bear contender Introduction.
International sales are handled by Korean sales company Finecut which has been an active participant in the online EFM this year from its home city of Seoul.
The three-part film revolves around a young man visiting his father, lover and mother. It is Hong’s fifth film in competition at the Berlinale.
He won the Silver Bear in...
French production and distribution company Capricci has acquired French rights to Korean director Hong Sangsoo’s Golden Bear contender Introduction.
International sales are handled by Korean sales company Finecut which has been an active participant in the online EFM this year from its home city of Seoul.
The three-part film revolves around a young man visiting his father, lover and mother. It is Hong’s fifth film in competition at the Berlinale.
He won the Silver Bear in...
- 3/5/2021
- by Melanie Goodfellow¬Jean Noh
- ScreenDaily
First paragraphs of Hong Sang-soo reviews often dwell on the Korean master’s penchant for self-repetition, soothing readers that narrow expectations will be fulfilled. Let’s take a different course. This new work, Introduction, which charts a variety of fraught social “introductions” across different relationships, caused reflection on my first impressions of a director who’d soon become a reliable favorite, before any expectations could be tweaked or swerved. That film, 2013’s Nobody’s Daughter Haewon, made me think I was observing one of the chintziest, lowest-fidelity trifles imaginable, one hilarious fake-out gag with Jane Birkin notwithstanding. What might an unsuspecting viewer confronted with this film make of its unfriendly visage?
Knowing Hong and his temperament, it’s unlikely he’s too bothered. After initially breaking through with French co-productions in the 2000s, everything since––his reputation-crowning work, actually––has been self-financed and self-produced with little monetary risk incurred. Few auteurs...
Knowing Hong and his temperament, it’s unlikely he’s too bothered. After initially breaking through with French co-productions in the 2000s, everything since––his reputation-crowning work, actually––has been self-financed and self-produced with little monetary risk incurred. Few auteurs...
- 3/2/2021
- by David Katz
- The Film Stage
Leading South Korean film sales firm Finecut has boarded “Toxic,” a fact-based drama-thriller about a mysterious outbreak that killed thousands. The firm, which is also representing Hong Sang-soo’s Berlin competition title “Introduction,” will unveil the new title to buyers at next month’s European Film Market.
The film is the dramatization of events between 1994 and 2011 in which at least 1,600, and possibly as many as 14,000, people in Korea died. Consumer goods companies including the U.K.’s Reckitt-Benckiser sold tens of millions of humidifier-disinfectants for everyday use. Some included medicinal claims such as the suggestion that they would be good for people suffering from the common cold. Instead, with possible government complicity, the products skipped proper testing and were later found to contain chemicals that caused irreversible lung damage.
The film centers on an ER doctor whose wife may have lost her life because of the product. Along with other victims,...
The film is the dramatization of events between 1994 and 2011 in which at least 1,600, and possibly as many as 14,000, people in Korea died. Consumer goods companies including the U.K.’s Reckitt-Benckiser sold tens of millions of humidifier-disinfectants for everyday use. Some included medicinal claims such as the suggestion that they would be good for people suffering from the common cold. Instead, with possible government complicity, the products skipped proper testing and were later found to contain chemicals that caused irreversible lung damage.
The film centers on an ER doctor whose wife may have lost her life because of the product. Along with other victims,...
- 2/19/2021
- Variety Film + TV
Hong Sang-soo was awarded the Silver Bear for Best Director at the 70th Berlinale Film Festival for his 24rd feature fiction film “The Woman Who Ran”, a story revolving around Gam-hee (Kim Min-hee), a young florist who visits two of her long-time friends at the outskirts of Seoul, and also accidentally meets the third one on her excursion to an arthouse exhibition.
The Woman Who Ran is Screening at Black Movie
It’s in many ways a classical Hong Sang-soo movie built around people immersed in conversations, enjoying drinks, food and beautiful landscapes. So there is plenty of chatter in “The Woman Who Ran” but no traditional soju-drinking, although two people won’t be sober for a long time after downing a bottle of makgeolli. But the true novelty is that Hong Sang-soo has made a very female movie, his first of the kind, and it is a surprisingly effortless...
The Woman Who Ran is Screening at Black Movie
It’s in many ways a classical Hong Sang-soo movie built around people immersed in conversations, enjoying drinks, food and beautiful landscapes. So there is plenty of chatter in “The Woman Who Ran” but no traditional soju-drinking, although two people won’t be sober for a long time after downing a bottle of makgeolli. But the true novelty is that Hong Sang-soo has made a very female movie, his first of the kind, and it is a surprisingly effortless...
- 1/24/2021
- by Marina D. Richter
- AsianMoviePulse
Kim Min-hee began modeling when she was in middle school, and soon appeared as a cover girl in teen magazines. In 1999, she was cast in the campus drama School 2 as a rebellious high school girl, which launched her to stardom. She became a popular young star at barely 20 years old, appearing in TV dramas and movies. However, a string of poor acting performances brought her negative criticism. Critics and viewers disparagingly called her an “attractive but blank actress,” more famous for being a fashion icon and actor Lee Jung-jae‘s then-girlfriend.
In 2006, after reading the synopsis of TV series “Goodbye Solo”, Kim knew that she wanted the role of Mi-ri more than anything, saying “I was ready to do anything to play her.” She begged renowned screenwriter Noh Hee-kyung to cast her, and though Noh turned her down five times, Kim would not give up, and her determination eventually convinced...
In 2006, after reading the synopsis of TV series “Goodbye Solo”, Kim knew that she wanted the role of Mi-ri more than anything, saying “I was ready to do anything to play her.” She begged renowned screenwriter Noh Hee-kyung to cast her, and though Noh turned her down five times, Kim would not give up, and her determination eventually convinced...
- 12/28/2020
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Wedged between “Right Now, Wrong Then” (2015) and the successive “Claire’s Camera” and “On the Beach at Night Alone” (both 2017), “Yourself and Yours” marks a delicate and pivotal moment for director Hong Sang-soo’s life, a time for changes which sips through the film and that will affect (undoubtedly in a positive way) his following works. The film enjoyed great success at the Toronto, San Sebastian (winner), Hamburg and many other Festivals.
“Yourself and Yours” is streaming on Mubi
The film opens in a hot and sticky Korean summer, with a conversation between the painter Young-soo (Kim Joo-hyuk) and a friend. Young-soo is worried about his dying mother but this concern is soon relegated to the back burner when his friend drops a bomb; his girlfriend Min-jung (Lee Yoo-young) was spotted drinking with a man in a bar, where she eventually even caused a drunk fight. Young-soo is incredulous, he doesn’t think it’s possible,...
“Yourself and Yours” is streaming on Mubi
The film opens in a hot and sticky Korean summer, with a conversation between the painter Young-soo (Kim Joo-hyuk) and a friend. Young-soo is worried about his dying mother but this concern is soon relegated to the back burner when his friend drops a bomb; his girlfriend Min-jung (Lee Yoo-young) was spotted drinking with a man in a bar, where she eventually even caused a drunk fight. Young-soo is incredulous, he doesn’t think it’s possible,...
- 12/23/2020
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Hong Sang-soo was awarded the Silver Bear for Best Director at the 70th Berlinale Film Festival for his 24rdfeature fiction film “The Woman Who Ran”, a story revolving around Gam-hee (Kim Min-hee), a young florist who visits two of her long-time friends at the outskirts of Seoul, and also accidentally meets the third one on her excursion to an arthouse exhibition.
“The Woman Who Ran” will be released on December 11th in Curzon Bloomsbury cinema in London and will be available on Curzon Home at the same time, with further cinemas to be added around the UK as they reopen. Online streaming on Mubi UK & Ireland will be available from 20th December.
It’s in many ways a classical Hong Sang-soo movie built around people immersed in conversations, enjoying drinks, food and beautiful landscapes. So there is plenty of chatter in “The Woman Who Ran” but no traditional soju-drinking, although...
“The Woman Who Ran” will be released on December 11th in Curzon Bloomsbury cinema in London and will be available on Curzon Home at the same time, with further cinemas to be added around the UK as they reopen. Online streaming on Mubi UK & Ireland will be available from 20th December.
It’s in many ways a classical Hong Sang-soo movie built around people immersed in conversations, enjoying drinks, food and beautiful landscapes. So there is plenty of chatter in “The Woman Who Ran” but no traditional soju-drinking, although...
- 12/8/2020
- by Marina D. Richter
- AsianMoviePulse
Hong Sang-soo was awarded the Silver Bear for Best Director at the 70th Berlinale Film Festival for his 24rdfeature fiction film “The Woman Who Ran”, a story revolving around Gam-hee (Kim Min-hee), a young florist who visits two of her long-time friends at the outskirts of Seoul, and also accidentally meets the third one on her excursion to an arthouse exhibition.
“The Woman Who Run” is streaming at Thessaloniki International Film Festival
It’s in many ways a classical Hong Sang-soo movie built around people immersed in conversations, enjoying drinks, food and beautiful landscapes. So there is plenty of chatter in “The Woman Who Ran” but no traditional soju-drinking, although two people won’t be sober for a long time after downing a bottle of makgeolli. But the true novelty is that Hong Sang-soo has made a very female movie, his first of the kind, and it is a surprisingly...
“The Woman Who Run” is streaming at Thessaloniki International Film Festival
It’s in many ways a classical Hong Sang-soo movie built around people immersed in conversations, enjoying drinks, food and beautiful landscapes. So there is plenty of chatter in “The Woman Who Ran” but no traditional soju-drinking, although two people won’t be sober for a long time after downing a bottle of makgeolli. But the true novelty is that Hong Sang-soo has made a very female movie, his first of the kind, and it is a surprisingly...
- 11/6/2020
- by Marina D. Richter
- AsianMoviePulse
For several years now, Sean Gilman and Evan Morgan have been discussing the latest Hong Sang-soo releases in-person, at film festivals, via Twitter and on their site, Seattle Screen Scene, including The Day After, Claire’s Camera, Grass, and Hotel by the River. Now, on the occasion of the New York Film Festival's presentation of Hong's The Woman Who Ran, the discussion continues here at the Notebook.***Sean Gilman: We’ve been doing these correspondences about Hong Sang-soo movies (corresp-Hong-dences?) for a few years now and I’m more curious than ever to know what you think of this one. I don’t know that I’ve ever been more surprised, initially at least, by one of his films. Hong seems to have reduced his cinema down to its barest essence: structure and subtext, while allowing the text itself to drift away into nothingness. A woman played by Kim Min-hee has...
- 9/29/2020
- MUBI
Following a Us deal, The Woman Who Ran has also gone to France, Portugal, Spain and several other territories.
South Korean sales agency Finecut has sealed a raft of deals on The Woman Who Ran, directed by Hong Sangsoo, who won the Silver Bear for best director with the film at the recently wrapped Berlinale.
The film sold to France and French-speaking Switzerland (Capricci Films), Portugal (Midas Filmes), Spain (Capricci Cine), Taiwan (Av-jet International Media Co), Australia and New Zealand (Cmc Pictures) and Brazil (Providence Filmes). It was previously announced that the film has also sold to The Cinema Guild for the Us.
South Korean sales agency Finecut has sealed a raft of deals on The Woman Who Ran, directed by Hong Sangsoo, who won the Silver Bear for best director with the film at the recently wrapped Berlinale.
The film sold to France and French-speaking Switzerland (Capricci Films), Portugal (Midas Filmes), Spain (Capricci Cine), Taiwan (Av-jet International Media Co), Australia and New Zealand (Cmc Pictures) and Brazil (Providence Filmes). It was previously announced that the film has also sold to The Cinema Guild for the Us.
- 3/3/2020
- by 134¦Jean Noh¦516¦
- ScreenDaily
Following a Us deal, The Woman Who Ran has also gone to France, Portugal, Spain and several other territories.
South Korean sales agency Finecut has sealed a raft of deals on The Woman Who Ran, directed by Hong Sangsoo, who won the Silver Bear for best director with the film at the recently wrapped Berlinale.
The film sold to France and French-speaking Switzerland (Capricci Films), Portugal (Midas Filmes), Spain (Capricci Cine), Taiwan (Av-jet International Media Co), Australia and New Zealand (Cmc Pictures) and Brazil (Providence Filmes). It was previously announced that the film has also sold to The Cinema Guild for the Us.
South Korean sales agency Finecut has sealed a raft of deals on The Woman Who Ran, directed by Hong Sangsoo, who won the Silver Bear for best director with the film at the recently wrapped Berlinale.
The film sold to France and French-speaking Switzerland (Capricci Films), Portugal (Midas Filmes), Spain (Capricci Cine), Taiwan (Av-jet International Media Co), Australia and New Zealand (Cmc Pictures) and Brazil (Providence Filmes). It was previously announced that the film has also sold to The Cinema Guild for the Us.
- 3/3/2020
- by 134¦Jean Noh¦516¦
- ScreenDaily
Hong Sang-soo was awarded the Silver Bear for Best Director at the 70th Berlinale Film Festival for his 24rd feature fiction film “The Woman Who Ran”, a story revolving around Gam-hee (Kim Min-hee), a young florist who visits two of her long-time friends at the outskirts of Seoul, and also accidentally meets the third one on her excursion to an arthouse exhibition.
It’s in many ways a classical Hong Sang-soo movie built around people immersed in conversations, enjoying drinks, food and beautiful landscapes. So there is plenty of chatter in “The Woman Who Ran” but no traditional soju-drinking, although two people won’t be sober for a long time after downing a bottle of makgeolli. But the true novelty is that Hong Sang-soo has made a very female movie, his first of the kind, and it is a surprisingly effortless work that could have easily gone wrong considering his minimalist approach to film-making.
It’s in many ways a classical Hong Sang-soo movie built around people immersed in conversations, enjoying drinks, food and beautiful landscapes. So there is plenty of chatter in “The Woman Who Ran” but no traditional soju-drinking, although two people won’t be sober for a long time after downing a bottle of makgeolli. But the true novelty is that Hong Sang-soo has made a very female movie, his first of the kind, and it is a surprisingly effortless work that could have easily gone wrong considering his minimalist approach to film-making.
- 3/2/2020
- by Marina D. Richter
- AsianMoviePulse
Hong Sang-soo may not be South Korea’s most revered director in the era of Bong Joon Ho, but no filmmaker from the region has been more consistent in his output, or more productive. It has become ritual to describe the similarities between Hong’s lo-fi character studies as he’s cranked out two dozen features with slight variations in plot and theme over 20 years, but the recurring summaries of a Hong enterprise — self-aware stories of neurotic characters who drink a lot and ramble about life — often underserve the sophistication behind them.
Where many filmmakers aim to stretch their stories across a broad canvas, Hong scribbles, but there’s plenty of depth lurking in the small, unassuming moments that contribute to a larger whole. “The Woman Who Ran” exemplifies the some of best aspects of Hong’s fast-and-loose approach, and why it can never be easily dismissed.
An episodic triptych...
Where many filmmakers aim to stretch their stories across a broad canvas, Hong scribbles, but there’s plenty of depth lurking in the small, unassuming moments that contribute to a larger whole. “The Woman Who Ran” exemplifies the some of best aspects of Hong’s fast-and-loose approach, and why it can never be easily dismissed.
An episodic triptych...
- 2/27/2020
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
The Woman Who Ran opens on a lovely shot of hens. The camera then pulls back to show the garden of a middle-class apartment block where a woman named Youngsoon (Seo Younghwa) tells another, Youngji (Lee Eunmi), about her hangover. The lighting is natural; the performances and sentiment are, too. Hong Sang-soo’s cinema is one of repetition and anyone familiar will not take long to discern The Woman Who Ran as his own. He rinses; he washes; he repeats.
Some things, however, do change. Since the premiere of Right Now, Wrong Then in 2015, Hong has gradually moved from the melancholic male protagonists that defined his early work, and Woman feels like another natural exercise in that process. His artistic partnering with Kim Min-hee has been key to this–a no-nonsense and wonderfully nuanced actress who took her first Hong role in Right Now, then appeared in all but one...
Some things, however, do change. Since the premiere of Right Now, Wrong Then in 2015, Hong has gradually moved from the melancholic male protagonists that defined his early work, and Woman feels like another natural exercise in that process. His artistic partnering with Kim Min-hee has been key to this–a no-nonsense and wonderfully nuanced actress who took her first Hong role in Right Now, then appeared in all but one...
- 2/25/2020
- by Rory O'Connor
- The Film Stage
Three distant mountains; three chatty encounters between long-acquainted women; three comically tiresome intrusions from self-important men shot only from behind. Prolific South Korean arthouse staple Hong Sangsoo has dealt in playful, internally rhyming triplicate before, but never with such a gently sardonic female focus, and seldom as straightforwardly as in his airy, charming Berlin competition trinket “The Woman Who Ran.” (Spoiler alert: No women run.)
Given that it’s been two years since Hong’s last film, which relative to his standard level of output is equivalent to roughly a decade-long absence for any other filmmaker, one might have expected a denser, more complex return, especially given his often slippery, Möbius-strip approach to time and memory. But “The Woman Who Ran” is surprisingly linear — not that its decipherability is going to win this defiantly acquired-taste filmmaker a new host of multiplex-going fans. Woe betide anyone suddenly so turned on to...
Given that it’s been two years since Hong’s last film, which relative to his standard level of output is equivalent to roughly a decade-long absence for any other filmmaker, one might have expected a denser, more complex return, especially given his often slippery, Möbius-strip approach to time and memory. But “The Woman Who Ran” is surprisingly linear — not that its decipherability is going to win this defiantly acquired-taste filmmaker a new host of multiplex-going fans. Woe betide anyone suddenly so turned on to...
- 2/25/2020
- by Jessica Kiang
- Variety Film + TV
Berlin’s new seven-member selection committee — four women and three men — comprises the core of new director Carlo Chatrian’s programming staff, which is led Canadian critic Mark Peranson. Peranson was the Locarno Film Festival’s chief of programming when Chatrian headed that Swiss festival. This year, Berlin is opening with “My Salinger Year,” starring Sigourney Weaver (above).
But Chatrian is quick to point out that his Berlin team is not a Locarno redux. Of the Berlin official selection gatekeepers, “four are people I worked with in Locarno and three are new,” he says. “On the one hand it was important for me to have people who know my tastes, and whom I know,” Chatrian notes. “On the other, it was just as important not to duplicate, not to copy, the Locarno model.”
That’s why the new Berlin programmers Chatrian is working with, former Panorama chief Pat Lazzaro, Verena Von Stackelberg,...
But Chatrian is quick to point out that his Berlin team is not a Locarno redux. Of the Berlin official selection gatekeepers, “four are people I worked with in Locarno and three are new,” he says. “On the one hand it was important for me to have people who know my tastes, and whom I know,” Chatrian notes. “On the other, it was just as important not to duplicate, not to copy, the Locarno model.”
That’s why the new Berlin programmers Chatrian is working with, former Panorama chief Pat Lazzaro, Verena Von Stackelberg,...
- 2/17/2020
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’re highlighting the noteworthy titles that have recently hit platforms. Check out this week’s selections below and an archive of past round-ups here.
American Honey (Andrea Arnold)
Most love affairs don’t start when girl finds boy dancing on top of a K-Mart checkout counter to Rihanna’s “We Found Love,” but it’s a fitting start for Andrea Arnold’s American Honey, a sprawling, over-sized epic road trip following a magazine crew’s tour of the midwest. Anchored by a flawless performance from first-time actress Sasha Lane (who holds her own in scenes with movie stars like Shia Labeouf and Riley Keough), it’s a funny, heartbreaking, and tense drama with boundless energy and enthusiasm as Arnold examines culture conditions from wealthy Kansas City suburbs, a rust belt town...
American Honey (Andrea Arnold)
Most love affairs don’t start when girl finds boy dancing on top of a K-Mart checkout counter to Rihanna’s “We Found Love,” but it’s a fitting start for Andrea Arnold’s American Honey, a sprawling, over-sized epic road trip following a magazine crew’s tour of the midwest. Anchored by a flawless performance from first-time actress Sasha Lane (who holds her own in scenes with movie stars like Shia Labeouf and Riley Keough), it’s a funny, heartbreaking, and tense drama with boundless energy and enthusiasm as Arnold examines culture conditions from wealthy Kansas City suburbs, a rust belt town...
- 5/3/2019
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Hotel by the RiverIsn't the miracle of art how we see the panoply of our own lives via a magical panopticon? Every time we look, we see something that's really all about us. In concert with this, I vaingloriously clutch Walter Pater's concept of how art gives “nothing but the highest quality to your moments as they pass, and simply for those moments' sake.” But each of these moments, for me, is a multiplicity of moments, the past surfacing after bottom-feeding for minutes, months, or years. It might not be easy to see one's life in film—not in the narrative itself, but in the regard of the camera, the editing, how people say things and what their silences are like. It's really only happened for me with Eric Rohmer and now Hong Sang-soo. But it shouldn't be so surprising, since they are both romantics who capture the improvisatory moments in life,...
- 4/16/2019
- MUBI
Selection committee appointed / New heads for Panorama and Berlinale Shorts / Outlook onto 70th anniversary February 20–29, 2020Carlo Chatrian and Mariette Rissenbeek
Carlo Chatrian as Artistic Director and Mariette Rissenbeek as Executive Director will officially take office on June 1, 2019. The future director duo have already been in contact with festival sections, initiatives and departments for some time now, learning about workflows and structures, and had the opportunity to gain further insights on location at the festival in February. They started working in their offices at Potsdamer Platz in March and can now present a first look onto the 2020 Berlinale.
“We have different tasks, but the same goal: to successfully lead the festival into the future! We inherit a festival which is not only recognized as one of the biggest in the world but also plays a significant role in the international film industry; we are aware of the huge task we have...
Carlo Chatrian as Artistic Director and Mariette Rissenbeek as Executive Director will officially take office on June 1, 2019. The future director duo have already been in contact with festival sections, initiatives and departments for some time now, learning about workflows and structures, and had the opportunity to gain further insights on location at the festival in February. They started working in their offices at Potsdamer Platz in March and can now present a first look onto the 2020 Berlinale.
“We have different tasks, but the same goal: to successfully lead the festival into the future! We inherit a festival which is not only recognized as one of the biggest in the world but also plays a significant role in the international film industry; we are aware of the huge task we have...
- 4/1/2019
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
"An exquisite hangout movie." The Cinema Guild has debuted an official Us trailer for the film Grass, one of the latest works from prominent Korean filmmaker Hong Sang-soo. This originally premiered at the Berlin Film Festival last year, and also played at the Busan and New York Film Festivals last year, but is only now getting a release in Us cinemas. Grass is Hong Sang-soo's fourth feature film over the last two years - following On the Beach at Night Alone, which also premiered at the Berlin Film Festival, as well as The Day After and Claire's Camera. This one, also shot in black & white, is about a young Korean woman, played by award-winning actress Kim Min-hee, who sits at a cafe in the corner writing on her laptop about people she sees around here and their interactions. Seems like a good time, offering some nice insight. It's only 68 minutes,...
- 3/25/2019
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Prolific South Korean auteur Hong Sang-soo’s twenty-first feature, The Day After, was also his second time competing for the Palme d’Or when it premiered at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival (where it would leave empty-handed). After a long stint on the festival circuit, where it was perhaps a bit obscured his two other 2017 titles, On the Beach at Night Alone and Claire’s Camera, Us distributor The Cinema Guild finally landed a limited theatrical run in New York in May of 2018.
From our 2017 Cannes Film Festival Review:
“Throughout it all, a series of scenes featuring characters breaking down into ugly, sometimes drunken sobbing is accompanied by the film’s wonderfully overbearing keyboard inspired score, which lends these moments a droll dimension.…...
From our 2017 Cannes Film Festival Review:
“Throughout it all, a series of scenes featuring characters breaking down into ugly, sometimes drunken sobbing is accompanied by the film’s wonderfully overbearing keyboard inspired score, which lends these moments a droll dimension.…...
- 2/26/2019
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
The oft-repeated joke about Hong Sang-soo is that he makes the same movie over and over again, but at this stage in his career there is a necessary, if often overlooked asterisk: though the start- and end-points may vary slightly from viewer to viewer, he has carved out distinguishable periods. If periodizing the South Korean director is a manageable task, it’s ultimately a limiting one as well, a way to make a sometimes overwhelming oeuvre more digestible. Hong’s genius becomes most apparent when—as is the case with Yasujiro Ozu, another director who visibly honed and refined his style from film to film—one begins to look at the deviations, foreshadowings, and throwbacks within a particular period. Ozu’s pre-war sound films fascinatingly oscillate between polemical criticisms and more modernist depictions of Japan on the verge of mass societal uprootings, but maintained a commitment to a particular stylistic approach; Hong,...
- 2/13/2019
- MUBI
Hong Sang-soo is among the most prolific filmmakers in the world, and somehow manages to make each new film an event unto itself. “Hotel by the River” is his fifth film in the last two years — “On the Beach at Night Alone,” “Claire’s Camera,” “The Day After,” and “Grass” all preceded it on the festival circuit — and, like all of those earlier works, stars his creative and romantic partner Kim Min-hee (“The Handmaiden”).
After premiering at Locarno last summer, the black-and-white romantic comedy will soon be released theatrically. Watch the trailer below.
Here’s the synopsis: “Two tales intersect at a riverside hotel: an elderly poet (Ki Joo-bong), invited to stay there for free by the owner, summons his two estranged sons, sensing his life drawing to a close; and a young woman (Kim Min-hee) nursing a recently broken heart is visited by a friend who tries to console her.
After premiering at Locarno last summer, the black-and-white romantic comedy will soon be released theatrically. Watch the trailer below.
Here’s the synopsis: “Two tales intersect at a riverside hotel: an elderly poet (Ki Joo-bong), invited to stay there for free by the owner, summons his two estranged sons, sensing his life drawing to a close; and a young woman (Kim Min-hee) nursing a recently broken heart is visited by a friend who tries to console her.
- 2/2/2019
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
Hong Sangsoo, the prolific, celebrated director of On the Beach at Night Alone, Right Now, Wrong Them, and many more, slacked a bit and only premiered two new films last year. The most recent, Hotel by the River, conveys the interactions between a poet, his sons, and two female guests, one of whom played is played by Kim Minhee. These interactions convey the defining theme of Hong’s films: the rumination of life and its enigmatic nature. Ahead of a release in February, Cinema Guild has now delivered the U.S. trailer and poster.
Leonardo Goi said in his review, “Hong’s acolytes have reasons to rejoice in the Korean’s latest feature: beautifully shot in crisp black and white by Kim Hyung-koo – reminiscent of his work in Hong’s The Day After (2017) and Grass (2018) – and packed with a few of the director’s recurrent casting choices (including muse Kim...
Leonardo Goi said in his review, “Hong’s acolytes have reasons to rejoice in the Korean’s latest feature: beautifully shot in crisp black and white by Kim Hyung-koo – reminiscent of his work in Hong’s The Day After (2017) and Grass (2018) – and packed with a few of the director’s recurrent casting choices (including muse Kim...
- 1/28/2019
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
There are thousands of films about love’s beginning, and a great many about love’s end. But far fewer deal with a relationship’s late-middle: the spreading, sluggish delta of coupledom when decades of familiarity, if they have not bred contempt, at least threaten irritation. “Winter’s Night,” Jang Woo-jin’s playfully melancholic third feature, after the acclaimed “A Fresh Start” and “Autumn, Autumn,” occupies this less trafficked territory with idiosyncratic grace and a surprising, gentle surrealism that lets us explore the possibility that actually those beginning-middle-and-end phases might exist simultaneously in the place where they’ve always been, and the people we once were might be wandering around there like stranded tourists.
A cleverly wrong-footing opening introduces us to Eun-ju, a wonderfully mercurial turn by Seo Young-hwa (from Hong Sang-soo’s “On the Beach at Night Alone”), and her husband Heung-ju, played by Yang Heung-ju, here reuniting with director Jang after “Autumn,...
A cleverly wrong-footing opening introduces us to Eun-ju, a wonderfully mercurial turn by Seo Young-hwa (from Hong Sang-soo’s “On the Beach at Night Alone”), and her husband Heung-ju, played by Yang Heung-ju, here reuniting with director Jang after “Autumn,...
- 12/15/2018
- by Jessica Kiang
- Variety Film + TV
A halo of unnatural, blue, and red neon-light envelops the snowy landscape around the Buddhist temple of Cheongpyeongsa. Wide awake in the dead of night–silent guests of a bed and breakfast a short walk away–is a Seoul couple in their fifties: Eun-ju (Seo Young-hwa) and Heung-ju (Yang Heung-ju). It’s a trip down memory lane; some thirty years prior, the wintry landscape was home to their first impromptu rendezvous, but the flirting that presumably peppered the first date is very much a relic from a bygone era–more than a couple enjoying a holiday together, the pair look busy mourning a protracted, funereal goodbye. A talk-filled chamber drama marooned between moments of inexpressible loneliness and scenes of whimsical beauty, Jang Woo-Jin’s Winter’s Night is a delicate and charming portrait of a middle-aged couple at a sentimental standstill–a midwinter’s night dream unfurling through labyrinthine late-night strolls and chance encounters.
- 12/12/2018
- by Leonardo Goi
- The Film Stage
As the end of 2018 rapidly approaches, it’s that time of year where some of the biggest names in film criticism release their top 10 lists. One of those lists that we always try to highlight is that of France’s Cahiers du cinéma. However, since the publication’s list focuses on films released in Franche in 2018, there are some projects that you probably won’t see on many other year-end lists.
First, you’ll notice that films like “Phantom Thread,” “The Post,” and “On the Beach at Night Alone” are all on the 2018 list, despite being released last year in the Us.
Continue reading Cahiers du Cinéma Top 10 Of 2018 Honors Lars von Trier’s Latest As Well As French Film ‘The Wild Boys’ at The Playlist.
First, you’ll notice that films like “Phantom Thread,” “The Post,” and “On the Beach at Night Alone” are all on the 2018 list, despite being released last year in the Us.
Continue reading Cahiers du Cinéma Top 10 Of 2018 Honors Lars von Trier’s Latest As Well As French Film ‘The Wild Boys’ at The Playlist.
- 12/4/2018
- by Charles Barfield
- The Playlist
Established in the 1950s by André Bazin, Joseph-Marie Lo Duca, and Jacques Doniol-Valcroze, France’s Cahiers du cinéma has long been a bastion for quality film criticism. Year after year their rundown of the top films usually ignites a response, but their 2018 edition plays it a little more safe.
Their editors’ top 10 features a few films that got a release in the U.S. last year, but France this year as well as some awaiting a U.S. release. Topping the list is Bertrand Mandico’s gloriously trippy, gender fluid fantasy The Wild Boys, while Lee Chang-dong’s Burning and Lars von Trier’s The House That Jack Built also made the cut.
Check out the list below via their latest issue, also including links to coverage where available.
1. The Wild Boys (Bertrand Mandico)
2. Coincoin and the Extra-Humans (Bruno Dumont)
3. Phantom Thread (Paul Thomas Anderson)
4. Burning (Lee Chang-dong)
5. Paul Sanchez est revenu!
Their editors’ top 10 features a few films that got a release in the U.S. last year, but France this year as well as some awaiting a U.S. release. Topping the list is Bertrand Mandico’s gloriously trippy, gender fluid fantasy The Wild Boys, while Lee Chang-dong’s Burning and Lars von Trier’s The House That Jack Built also made the cut.
Check out the list below via their latest issue, also including links to coverage where available.
1. The Wild Boys (Bertrand Mandico)
2. Coincoin and the Extra-Humans (Bruno Dumont)
3. Phantom Thread (Paul Thomas Anderson)
4. Burning (Lee Chang-dong)
5. Paul Sanchez est revenu!
- 12/3/2018
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Hong Sang-soo can be a very frustrating artist at times for some. He has developed a formula that he has stuck to so well for so long that audiences can pretty much guess several settings and situations off the bat, a quality that you either love or hate in the director’s works. The main thing that differs are the narrative choices he takes. His latest film, and his second of 2018, “Hotel by the River” however takes a simpler, more linear approach to the narrative. The film premiered at the Locarno Film Festival, where it won Best Actor for Gi Ju-bong.
“Hotel by the River” is screening at Five Flavours Festival
On the invitation of the owner, renowned poet Young-hwan has been living at a lovely riverside hotel for the past couple weeks, in the middle of winter. Though he seems hale and hearty, he seems to be under the...
“Hotel by the River” is screening at Five Flavours Festival
On the invitation of the owner, renowned poet Young-hwan has been living at a lovely riverside hotel for the past couple weeks, in the middle of winter. Though he seems hale and hearty, he seems to be under the...
- 11/21/2018
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
The following essay was produced as part of the 2018 Nyff Critics Academy, a workshop for aspiring film critics that took place during the 56th edition of the New York Film Festival. A nondescript woman named Areum (Kim Min-hee) sinks into her laptop at a café table as nearby patrons air their personal resentments in fearless public confrontation. A young couple’s offhand hostility spins into jarring accusations of complicity in a mutual friend’s suicide; an out-of-work actor begs his acquaintance for housing, desperately insisting that he can pay rent. Conversations escalate with jarring speed as Areum’s attention floats across the café, eavesdropping—or maybe daydreaming?—to furnish an unseen writing project.
One man chides Areum for staring, but just as fast as he can offer himself a seat at her table, he feebly attempts to reverse the equation: He suggests that she, a self-proclaimed non-writer, should let him study her for ten days,...
One man chides Areum for staring, but just as fast as he can offer himself a seat at her table, he feebly attempts to reverse the equation: He suggests that she, a self-proclaimed non-writer, should let him study her for ten days,...
- 11/10/2018
- by Adina Glickstein
- Indiewire
Hong Sang-soo can be a very frustrating artist at times for some. He has developed a formula that he has stuck to so well for so long that audiences can pretty much guess several settings and situations off the bat, a quality that you either love or hate in the director’s works. The main thing that differs are the narrative choices he takes. His latest film, and his second of 2018, “Hotel by the River” however takes a simpler, more linear approach to the narrative. The film premiered at the Locarno Film Festival, where it won Best Actor for Gi Ju-bong.
Hotel by the River is screening at London Korean Film Festival
On the invitation of the owner, renowned poet Young-hwan has been living at a lovely riverside hotel for the past couple weeks, in the middle of winter. Though he seems hale and hearty, he seems to be under...
Hotel by the River is screening at London Korean Film Festival
On the invitation of the owner, renowned poet Young-hwan has been living at a lovely riverside hotel for the past couple weeks, in the middle of winter. Though he seems hale and hearty, he seems to be under...
- 11/8/2018
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
The film, which took the best actor prize at Locarno, sells to France and China.
Korean sales agent Finecut has announced deals on Hong Sangsoo’s latest film Hotel By The River, period creature feature Monstrum and comedy Too Hot To Die.
Hotel By The River made its world premiere at the Locarno film festival where lead Ki Joo-bong won the Golden Leopard for best actor for his performance as a wistful old poet who, thinking he is about to die, summons his two estranged sons to a riverside hotel. The cast also includes Hong regulars Kim Minhee and Song...
Korean sales agent Finecut has announced deals on Hong Sangsoo’s latest film Hotel By The River, period creature feature Monstrum and comedy Too Hot To Die.
Hotel By The River made its world premiere at the Locarno film festival where lead Ki Joo-bong won the Golden Leopard for best actor for his performance as a wistful old poet who, thinking he is about to die, summons his two estranged sons to a riverside hotel. The cast also includes Hong regulars Kim Minhee and Song...
- 11/1/2018
- by Jean Noh
- ScreenDaily
South Korea does some of the best dark high school dramas. Films like “Bleak Night”, “Han Gong-ju”, “Thread of Lies” and even “Silenced” are incredibly hard to sit through yet exceptionally engaging and very relevant even today. Director Kim Ui-seok takes on another high school tragedy and its aftermath in his debut feature “After My Death”, which received universal praise when it premiered at the 2017 edition of the Busan Film Festival.
Synopsis
A missing high-school girl is suspected of committing suicide. When it is discovered that somber Yeong-hee was the last to see her, troubling questions arise. Yeong-hee is quickly thrown into a maelstrom of accusations, leading to a witch hunt encouraged by the missing girl’s mother and her quick-to-condemn classmates. While Yeong-hee searches for the truth, she must solve her own existential crisis before spiraling out of control. “After My Death” wraps its drama in a mantle of...
Synopsis
A missing high-school girl is suspected of committing suicide. When it is discovered that somber Yeong-hee was the last to see her, troubling questions arise. Yeong-hee is quickly thrown into a maelstrom of accusations, leading to a witch hunt encouraged by the missing girl’s mother and her quick-to-condemn classmates. While Yeong-hee searches for the truth, she must solve her own existential crisis before spiraling out of control. “After My Death” wraps its drama in a mantle of...
- 9/19/2018
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
Long walks, meals, drinks, conversations and Kim Min-hee are all back in Korean auteur Hong Sang-soo’s latest monochrome offering “Hotel by the River”.
Synopsis
An old poet staying for free in a riverside hotel summons his two estranged sons. This is because he feels, for no apparent reason, like he is going to die. After being betrayed by the man she was living with, a young woman gets a room at the hotel. Seeking support, she summons a friend. The poet spends a day with his sons and tries to wrap up the loose ends in his life. But it’s not so easy to do that in one day. But then he sees the young woman and her friend, after a sudden, unbelievably heavy snowfall.
Apart from Hong Sang-soo’s muse Kim Min-hee, the film stars regular Hong Sang-soo collaborators Song Seon-mi, Kwon Hae-hyo, Yoo Jun-sang, who won...
Synopsis
An old poet staying for free in a riverside hotel summons his two estranged sons. This is because he feels, for no apparent reason, like he is going to die. After being betrayed by the man she was living with, a young woman gets a room at the hotel. Seeking support, she summons a friend. The poet spends a day with his sons and tries to wrap up the loose ends in his life. But it’s not so easy to do that in one day. But then he sees the young woman and her friend, after a sudden, unbelievably heavy snowfall.
Apart from Hong Sang-soo’s muse Kim Min-hee, the film stars regular Hong Sang-soo collaborators Song Seon-mi, Kwon Hae-hyo, Yoo Jun-sang, who won...
- 8/31/2018
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
“He’s hardly a real auteur,” says a woman of an arthouse director in Hong Sangsoo’s achingly melancholic Hotel by the River, “and he does ambivalent stuff.” Hong’s acolytes have reasons to rejoice in the Korean’s latest feature: beautifully shot in crisp black and white by Kim Hyung-koo – reminiscent of his work in Hong’s The Day After (2017) and Grass (2018) – and packed with a few of the director’s recurrent casting choices (including muse Kim Min-hee and Kwon Hae-hyo) Hotel by the River is imbued with the self-irony that permeates much of Hong’s ever-growing filmography, only this time the mockery is mixed with a tragic aftertaste that adds to the drama an unsettling and refreshing aura.
A lingering presence traversing much of Hong’s canon, death in Hotel by the River feels a lot more tangible than usual. Harboring much of the film’s action is...
A lingering presence traversing much of Hong’s canon, death in Hotel by the River feels a lot more tangible than usual. Harboring much of the film’s action is...
- 8/24/2018
- by Leonardo Goi
- The Film Stage
Cinema Guild has bought U.S. distribution rights to Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s “The Wild Pear Tree,” a month after it premiered in competition at the Cannes Film Festival.
Cinema Guild will release the film in theaters in early 2019. It’s the eighth feature film from the Turkish filmmaker, who won the Palme d’Or at Cannes in 2014 for “Winter Sleep.”
“The Wild Pear Tree” follows an aspiring writer (played by Doğu Demirkol) who returns home after college, hoping to scrape together enough money to publish his first novel. But as he wanders the town, encountering old flames and obstinate gatekeepers, he finds his youthful ambition increasingly at odds with the deferred dreams of his gambling-addict father (portrayed by Murat Cemcir). As his own fantasies mingle with reality, he grapples with the people and the place that have made him who he is.
“The Wild Pear Tree” will mark the...
Cinema Guild will release the film in theaters in early 2019. It’s the eighth feature film from the Turkish filmmaker, who won the Palme d’Or at Cannes in 2014 for “Winter Sleep.”
“The Wild Pear Tree” follows an aspiring writer (played by Doğu Demirkol) who returns home after college, hoping to scrape together enough money to publish his first novel. But as he wanders the town, encountering old flames and obstinate gatekeepers, he finds his youthful ambition increasingly at odds with the deferred dreams of his gambling-addict father (portrayed by Murat Cemcir). As his own fantasies mingle with reality, he grapples with the people and the place that have made him who he is.
“The Wild Pear Tree” will mark the...
- 6/27/2018
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
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