Sang-soo Hong, South Korea's most famous film director, besides having a long and well-stocked career (24 works, long or short, since 1996) is an international film festival fixture. An admirer of Eric Rohmer, he is noted - like his master - for his dislike of gratuitous effects and for his knack for depicting every day relations. On the other hand he is sometimes criticized for always making the same film, in the same environment (Seoul, its streets and... restaurants!) and for indulging in superficial marivaudage.
Sure, his stories almost always address the subject of love but the Korean director is definitely not a mere illustrator of the grand maneuvers of amorous seduction. A minimum of attention makes it glaringly evident: there is always more to his characters than just one trying to lure another into their bed. True, his characters all have sex drive but they also have a brain, a heart and... many defects! Agreed, there is often a light comedy tone to his works (well exemplified by 'The Day After', one of his latest efforts) but, although very good at the genre, the director is more ambitious than just that. Bringing smiles is obviously one of his strong points but in his case, humor serves above all as a springboard for more serious matters. If you are not content with a superficial look, you soon realize that the Korean master's agenda (hidden or not) consists in examining such weighty topics as the meaning of life, human behavior, social relationships, and naturally art - particularly cinema and literature... Everybody knows that Marivaux and Rohmer did not deal only with mating, well... nor does Hong. And as for "always making the same film", haven't the self-appointed prosecutors heard of variations on a theme? What else do Fellini, Bergman, Woody Allen do? Hong does not repeat himself, he simply has a universe and motifs of his own: yes, his heroes are mainly intellectuals, but what is wrong about featuring those he mixes with and accordingly knows best, all the more since brainy ones - by definition - think (even if they often do it badly) and give depth to the stories told.
Yes, the scene is often set in Seoul, but not exclusively so: if you take the Hong train, you will also travel to Kangwon Province, Juju Island, Shinduri, Tongyeong, Gangneung, Paris, Trouville, Hamburg, Cannes...
"On the Beach Alone at Night", the work we are concerned here with, is an excellent illustration of my assertions. The story once again involves a film director (Sang Soo Hong is easily recognizable in the dream sequence as a tortured creator, who like his equivalent in real life is having a complicated love affair with actress Min-Hee Kim). And there is another of these hearty meals with plenty of beer and other spirits the director is a specialist of, but besides the fact that this kind of set-piece is as eagerly awaited by Hong enthusiasts as their equivalent in Hitchcock, Sautet or Chabrol films, they are always both hilarious and profound; side-splitting because loss of inhibition engendered by alcohol induces the characters to act foolishly; deep as liquor makes them spout (cruel) truths they usually keep unexpressed. In "On the Beach alone", there is not one but two of such meal sequences and they are amusing to compare. The second one, set in Gangneung is the classic Hong meal sequence : a group of "friends" laugh and make cutting remarks, especially the charming, well-educated, usually reserved heroin. The members of the group composed of people who had great expectations but driven by circumstances to lower their ambitions laugh at each other and instead of easing the atmosphere rub salt in the wounds. Earlier in the film, Yeong-hee, the actress, has lunch with a German couple in Hamburg. How different the atmosphere is then. In the company of a well-meaning, sensible, health-oriented, water-drinking German couple, no barbs are hurled but on the other hand the atmosphere remains awfully stiff and nothing of importance is exchanged.For Hong, perfection is obviously synonymous with dullness.
The sure thing is that « Alone on the Beach » is anything but superficial. It is first and foremost the superb portrait of a woman who, despite her young age, finds herself at a crossroads. Having had, because of a scandalous affair with her director, to withdraw from the screen, the charming Yeong Hee wanders aimlessly throughout the story in a state quiet desperation, close to outright hopelessness, examining her life, her love story, the meaning of it all with no compromise, including in a surprising nightmare sequence. As for Hong, he lives up to the Bergman-like ambition of his project (although with a lighter touch than the Swedish master), proving both a consummate painter of melancholy and great woman's director.
From the refreshing initial sequences in Hamburg (when Yeaong-hee still hopes her lover will come to see her) to the darker (and at times humorously dark) ones set in Korea, the writer-director aptly manages to make the audience connect with the young woman, making their own her states of heart and mind. He could not be served better than by Min-hee Kim, as engaging as she is beautiful, never putting on a show. On the contrary, she is herself and touches us all the more for that. The actress is well surrounded by Hong regulars, among whom Hae-hyo Kwon (as an old friend) or Sung-keun Noon (as the lover-director).
« Alone on the Beach at Night » is accordingly - and definitely - one of Song-soo Hong's major works and is therefore, recommended.
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guy-bellinger15 March 2018
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isaacwws2 February 2023Was it entertaining? No. But it was a hell of a good movie. It is worth watching. The silence is powerful and I thoroughly am grateful that I watched trough it. I really do recommend it for anybody who is maybe feeling empty or lonely. If you have free time or enjoy this sort of cinematic movies you should watch it.
It isn't captivating or like the most popular mass production media, it simply holds you there.
The long shots after leaving a scene, it makes you feel like you walked into another persons life for a split second.
Watch this movie. I'm almost in tears after it ended.
Don't watch it when you are looking for time passing, watch it with intent. Because I promise you if you don't you will drop the movie during the first 13 minutes, you need to watch it from the beginning-to the end. It's not like regular movies, I'd say it's more like a...documentary? A piece of someone's life. You can't drop out, push trough it.
I know it sound strange but it's an experience, but in a new way.
I think it's worth mentioning that the movie is not like it looks on the paper, it is not colorful, it is simple. -
ahmedhasan-8588915 April 2023Hong Sang-soo's visually astounding piece of cinema has the potential to turn into a sleep-fest for many viewers who are not used to extended sequences of silence and a lingering, loitering focus of the cameras on sombre landscapes and city streets. But those who possess a keen eye for the subtle meaning of cinema will find in these visual depictions a gentle erosion of love and a growing, rebelling, unstable acceptance.
The film depicts a young actress in Young-hee (Kim Min-hee) as she meanders along parks and pathways of foreign cities, has coffee in countryside restaurants with old friends and desperately tries to find for herself a hotel out at sea where she could spend some time letting go of her erratic, volatile longing for a recent lover.
Sang-soo lets his landscapes blend in naturally and does not resort much to color grading thus making it very difficult for viewers to not connect with the journey and emotions of the protagonist. We can feel Young-hee's admiration of the quietude in her sombre, spiritual walks in the park and her excitement on beholding the frozen lake. We can experience her detachment and withdrawal to her friends' lives and words as her resonance with generally accepted notions of love gradually fades away. We can accompany her in her dreams as she sleeps carefree on the beach drowning herself in the gentle snore of the sea.
A profound movie that in itself is a dissection of the breakdown of love and attachment. -
Red_Identity12 February 2018I knew nothing going into this, and perhaps that's why its sensitivity and its meticulous pacing really surprised and impressed me. Visually the film looks simple, yet it's very elegantly shot. The screenplay, in particular the intimate dialogue between characters, is fantastic. The biggest strength of the film is Min-hee Kim. She has such an ethereal quality to the way she performs, expressing the dialogue in such a natural, realistic way. The film isn't standard entertainment fare, but it sure is strong.
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rosgemchar21 December 2018I liked this film, surprisingly. The actress. The character played by the actress. Because nothing much happens I was surprised at how it held my attention. Basically, it is about a young actress getting over her affair with her director. The music helps in underlining the poetic quality of this work.
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christin-6345720 August 2019Just love all the dialogues and conversations. May be they are a little hysterical but just the type of movie I love.
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I can feel it! Min-hee Kim is gorgeous, and more than gorgeous. I remember that the fisrt time she said we are all not qualified to be loved, we are all doing filthy things i didn't understand. Does being loved need qualification? It's quite a touch now. I have been always looking forward to being loved but i also keep pushing people around me away because of my own concern.
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bandw21 August 2018This story of a young Korean woman, Young-hee, trying to come to terms with breaking up with her lover never rose above the pedestrian for me. There is essentially no action beyond conversation. After her breakup Young-hee goes to Germany to visit her friend Jee-young. A good part of the time spent with these two friends is concerned with wondering if Young-hee's lover will show up and with Young-hee's struggle of being torn between thoughts of her lover and her desire for independence.
Young-hee returns to Korea where she takes up with some old acquaintances and carries on conversations with them that struck me as conversations typical of interactions among any middle class people. The climactic scene at the dinner table closes with a reading from a Chekhov story. The story was appropriate in context, but that's taking an easy way out isn't it? When you cannot come up with your own writing, fall back on that of a famous writer?
Young-hee is far from likable--on more than one occasion she lashes out bitterly at her companions. Most of the men are pretty much cyphers; it was hard for me to get involved with any of them.
There are some interesting filming techniques. I liked the use of the large camera pans and the shifts in focus. There is a scene that had one of Young-hee's friends picking rocks out of some pounds of dried beans. Maybe this was to show that the guy was subservient to the cafe manager, but it puzzled me as to why so much time would be spent on such a mundane task. Then there are scenes that are just plain odd--like the acrobatic window cleaner who dominated one scene and was there for a purpose that escaped me. And there is the man in a black overcoat whose main scene has him asking for the time of day. What was that all about?
The adagio from Schubert's C-major string quintet accompanies several scenes and did not particularly enhance the emotion of those scenes, beyond being a most beautiful work.
This is my first exposure to director Hong. I have the feeling that he may be an acquired taste--a taste that I have yet to acquire. -
csbaka29 January 2019Korean movie star, Young-hee played with some fire by Min-hee Kim has an affair with a married director.
She seems to be rather lost as the affair ends as she vacations in Hamburg Germany. As the film progresses she goes about with her friends back in South Korea to pick up the pieces.
The film is strictly a stream of conciousnous story with Young-hee coming off the breakup with a very sharp tongue and demeaner. There are many conversations and Young-hee and the director do finally meet in the movie, but it's bittersweet.
At times she begins to rant, she's very angry, but I didn't see the film as most reviewed it, I don't think it was about the director. I see him only as a catalyst to Young-hee who questions have outstripped her answers.
In the end I believe it was more her doing than his. He seemed to have been caught in her vortex. She feels lost but at that edge is something far more. Outside of common reason, she'll have to find her way back if that's her intention.
This isn't a movie that most would jump for, be sure you enjoy a more sedate and introspective film before jumping in.
Mostly talk and ideas.
5 out of 10
Neat to see a Korean woman in film with large questions and serious results. -
natmavila23 August 2023If you've ever wondered what a film could achieve with the audacious premise of following someone who's essentially pondering the meaning of life while strolling along a beach at night, well, look no further. Hong Sang-soo's masterpiece is a cinematic ode to introspection, and it's a journey so intense that it makes a late-night snack run seem like an epic adventure. Our heroine, played brilliantly by Kim Min-hee, seems to ask the existential questions we all ponder, like, 'Should I have ordered dessert?'
While the movie is heavy on dialogue, it's all about those awkward, bumbling conversations that make you wonder if you should've brought an emotional survival kit. Kim Min-hee's character might as well have a Ph. D. in overthinking, and we get to join her on this rollercoaster of self-discovery. The beach becomes her therapist's couch, and every seagull is a silent yet judgmental observer. But hey, who needs a therapist when you have waves crashing in the background?
In conclusion, "On the Beach at Night Alone" is the film you never knew you needed. It's a deep dive into the abyss of human thoughts, set against the serene backdrop of a beach. And if you've ever considered deep conversations about life and love while munching on popcorn, this one's for you. Just don't forget your thinking cap, because you're in for a ride that's as enlightening as it is hilariously relatable. Four and a half stars for the laughs, the introspection, and the seagull therapy sessions. -
Red-12512 March 2020The Korean movie Bamui Haebyeoneseo Honja was shown in the U.S. with the translated title On the Beach at Night Alone (2017). It was written and directed by Sang-soo Hong.
Min-hee Kim stars as Young-hee, who was apparently a successful actor, but who now describes herself as box office poison. The reason for this is that she had an affair with a movie director, who is married.
The movie is divided into two parts. In the first part, Young-hee is visiting an older woman, who is her friend. Young-hee is waiting for her lover, who may or may not arrive. The last few frames of this part didn't make sense to me, so I don't know if he arrived or not.
In part two, Young-hee has arrived back in Korea after two years abroad. (Another reviewer says she was in Hamburg, Germany. I didn't see that in the subtitles--maybe the reviewer speaks Korean.)
What follows is an interminable hour of Young-Hee either walking on the beach (sometimes alone), sometimes with other people), but never at night.
Interspersed with her walks are conversations with friends during which Young-hee looks vacuous. Mostly they talk about each other. "You are beautiful." "Yes, but the script girl is beautiful too." The highlight of these conversations comes when a character asks Young-hee, "Are you still searching for love?" Her answer: "Where's love? It's not even visible. You need to see it in order to search for it."
Also, by the way, Young-hee is a mean drunk. Apparently that's OK, because she's a beautiful movie star.
Director Sang-soo Hong is an international darling of the film world, so his movies get shown at important festivals, and they get awards. This film was nominated for awards at the 67th Berlin International Film Festival. Min-Hee Kim won the Golden Bear award for her acting.
It's not a coincidence that she herself did, indeed, have an affair with Sang-soo Hong. So, art reflects live, or maybe vice-versa.
Fortunately, IMDb raters weren't impressed by the reputation of the director and star. The film has an anemic IMDb rating of 6.8. I didn't think it was even that good. I rated it a 5.
P.S. Normally, IMDb male raters outnumber female raters by two to one, or three to one. In this case it was five to one. My guess is that men went to see it because the title made them think it would be a sex film, a horror film, or both. For the record, it's neither. -
asc852 September 2018After watching this for one hour and 10 minutes, I had to bail, because nothing at all was happening. How this film was highly rated, much less won all the awards that it did is beyond me. This was agonizing to watch, and as it is considered a 2018 release in the USA, this one will definitely be appearing on my Worst 10 List. It's the least I could do.
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ptpitts23 May 2021When I saw the beginning and the background of the movie it seemed like it would be a very good movie but it was just boring, boring, and boring. I didn't want to give up on it but I did complete the movie with the same conclusion boring.
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Yuliet1015 July 2022I have to start with the idea that this is definitely (not even close) to an easy-watch movie. There are a lot of large scenes that are basically just people having a conversation, this is not a movie for everyone.
But, if you´re looking for an introspecting kind of movie, this is the one. We have a bunch of idea of what is love about, if there are people "qualified" to love and all those kind of thoughts.
Is really interesting if you want to have a different perspective about a hard way to love or felling lonely, but sometimes the scene is so long that you lose interest. -
sayahmaissa24 September 2019The story could have been much more interesting if they portrayed in a different way .. It's definitely one of the worst movies i've ever watched