Hong Sang-soo Movies
A regular on the international festival circuit, Hong Sang-soo is one of Korea's most highly regarded contemporary directors. His mostly improvised, innovatively constructed films conceal rich layers of meaning beneath deceptively simple surfaces, and reveal a filmmaker with a unique, individual style. A rather notorious figure on the Seoul film scene, Hong has a fondness for alcohol that is almost as legendary as his talent for filmmaking. He's been known to get familiar with his actors before shooting by taking them on drinking binges, and, for verisimilitude, the many drinking scenes in his films normally include actually drunk performers (who sometimes don't remember these scenes after they've been shot).Born in 1960, Hong began his film studies at Joongang University in Korea, then moved to the United States, where he received his BFA from the California College of Arts and Crafts and his MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His debut feature, The Day a Pig Fell Into the Well (1996), brought him immediate international acclaim, winning him Best New Director awards at Korea's Blue Dragon Awards and at the Asia Pacific Film Festival; he then went on to win additional awards at the Rotterdam and Vancouver film festivals. Setting the tone for Hong's subsequent efforts, the film is a de-romanticized vision of modern relationships that features dark humor, sparse dialogue, improvised performances, and precise camerawork. His second film, The Power of Kangwon Province (1998), has two parallel, intersecting story lines about thwarted love affairs and garnered him even more international awards, including a Special Mention in the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival. The provocatively titled The Virgin Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors followed in 2000. Shot in black-and-white using only medium-range shots, it follows a doomed love triangle from each character's point-of-view. Hong's most rigidly structured film, it earned him comparisons to Taiwanese master Hou Hsiao-hsien, along with even more international recognition, but it is also the film in his oeuvre about which critical opinion is most divided. His fourth film, Turning Gate (2002), a melancholy comedy about a depressed young actor's romantic failings, continues the development of Hong's finely honed, highly personal directorial voice. ~ Tom Vick, Rovi
Hong Sang-soo's drama In Another Country features a young woman diverting herself from hearing bad news by writing screenplays for three different stories. Each of the stories features Isabelle Huppert playing a different woman each named Anna who visits the Korean seaside town of Mohang. In each instance she flirts with a local lifeguard. In the first, she visits with a couple she knows because she once shared a kiss with the husband, in the second she meets with a Korean director with whom she is carrying on an affair, and in the third Anna is letting loose after being unexpectedly left by her husband. In another Country played at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
- 2011
A filmmaker who wants to make some changes in his life finds his days are developing a troubling similarity in this offbeat comedy-drama from South Korean writer and director Hong Sang-soo. Yoo Seong-jun (Yu Jun-sang) is a filmmaker whose critical reputation far outweighs his commercial success, and he's taking a break from his work as he plots his next move. Seong-jun travels to Seoul to visit an old friend, and happens to bump into an actress he once worked with. When Seong-jun's friend fails to show up, the filmmaker sets out on a pub crawl with a handful of film students, and winds up sloppy drunk at the doorstep of his ex-girlfriend Kyung-jin (Kim Bok-yung). The next night, Seong-jun finally meets up with his friend Young-ho (Kim Sang-joong), and once again the director ends up drunk, with his attentions divided between Boram (Song Sun-mi), an attractive academic, and Yejeon (also played by Kim Bok-yung), who owns the bar he's begun to frequent and looks strikingly like his former girlfriend. Seong-jun's second night in town ends in a manner much like the first, and when fate takes him back to the same bar for a third night, it's hard to tell if he's simply reliving the same day over and over or if he was wrong when he dismissed the power of coincidence. Book Chon Bang Hyang (aka The Day He Arrives) received its world premiere at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, where it was screened as part of the "Un Certain Regard" program. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kim Sang-joong
- 2010
Alcohol, memory and longing are an unpredictable combination in this low-key comedy from South Korean filmmaker Hong Sang-soo. Jo Munkyung (Kim Sangkyung) and Bang Jungshik (Yu Jungshik) are two close friends with a passion for filmmaking -- Jo is a movie director who's between projects, and Bang reviews films for a living. Jo has decided to leave South Korea and relocate to Canada, and since they share a taste for alcohol as well as cinema, they get together for a few drinks, sharing memories before Jo takes his leave. When they discover they've both paid a visit to the coastal town of Tong-yung recently, they swap stories about their experiences, not thinking that their individual experiences color their perceptions and that they're acquainted with most of the supporting characters in each other's stories. Their memories become especially tricky when it comes to women -- Bang currently divides his time between a wife and a mistress, while Jo is faithful but sorely tempted. Ha Ha Ha won the "Un Certain Regard" prize at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kim Sang-kyung, Yoo Joon-Sang, (more)
- 2010
- NR
Four stories are connected by a series of tangled romantic relationships in this comedy-drama from South Korean filmmaker Sang-soo Hong. In the first segment, Jingu (Lee Sun-kyun) is a filmmaker who isn't getting along with his wife and isn't feeling very good about his career. Before Jingu is subjected to a contentious interview with a journalist who is close friends with his former girlfriend, he has a long talk with Song (Moon Sung-keun), a professor of film studies, about the sad state of the art form. In chapter two, we move back in time to Jingu's days as a film student when he was infatuated with one of his classmates, Oki (Jung Yumi), who is suspected of having an affair with Song. The third part also deals with Jingu and Oki's college days; after a snowstorm hits the campus, they're the only students to show up for Song's lecture, and instead of class work they spend the hour talking philosophically. The final segment is done in the form of a student film, in which Oki makes an experimental short about her attraction to a fellow student as well as one of her professors. Ok-hui-ui yeonghwa (aka Oki's Movie) received its North American debut at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lee Sun-Gyun, Moon Sung-Keun, (more)
- 2009
Three Asian filmmakers present short stories of journeys that don't go as expected in this anthology feature. South Korean director Hong Sang-Soo contributes Lost In The Mountains, in which a young woman named Mi-Sook decides to pay an unannounced visit to her friend Jin-Young, a classmate from college. During her visit, Mi-Sook discovers Jin-Young has been having an affair with one of her professors. Mi-Sook pretends to be offended that Jin-Young is sleeping with a married man, but she's more deeply hurt by the fact she was involved with the same man. Koma, from Japanese filmmaker Naomi Kawase, follows Kang Jun-Il as he takes a trip to a small village in the countryside. Kang Jun-Il's grandfather has recently died, and he's been asked to carry out his last wish and take a rare Buddhist scroll back to the temple where it belongs. While Kang Jun-Il isn't sure how he feels about the ritual, the voyage brings him good fortune. And Butterflies Have No Memories by Lav Diaz of the Philippines concerns a beautiful and glamorous woman who comes back to the mining village where she was born. Not everyone is happy to see her, though, and several angry townspeople hatch a get-rich-quick scheme that involves holding their visitor hostage. The three segments of Visitors were produced under commission from South Korea's Jeonju Film Festival, where a similar program is featured each year. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- 2009
This offbeat drama from South Korea stars Kim Tae-woo as arthouse film director Ku Kyung-nam, and runs into an old friend named Bu after sitting on the jury at a film festival in a small town. Following a round of drinks, Bu drags Ku to his house and introduces him to his wife; the next day, Ku returns to his hotel following a night of heavy drinking with the couple, and discovers a note from them imploring him to "never come near us again." Unfortunately, Ku has no recollection of the events from the preceding night. Not long after, Ku journeys to Jeju Island for a film lecture and reencounters an old college acquaintance - only to discover that the gentleman married Ku's college sweetheart. He soon receives a secret note from the woman asking him to meet her at her house. Despite initial misgivings and reservations, Ku changes his mind and hearkens off to the rendez-vous. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kim Tae-woo, Eom Ji-weon, (more)
- 2008
A fugitive artist from Korea escapes to Paris in order to avoid a stiff prison sentence, only to find his love for the wife he left behind counterbalanced by his passion for the City of Lights. Sung-nam is a successful painter who was caught drunkenly smoking marijuana at a small gathering. Now threatened with an extended stay in jail, Sung-nam packs his bags and boards a plan bound for Paris. Once there, he settles down in a ramshackle hostel run by an older Korean man and located in the 14th Arrondissement. There's precious little for Sung-nam to do in Paris, so he spends most of his time aimlessly wandering along the Seine and through the city parks. Though he eventually happens upon his ex-girlfriend Min-sun, their current connection is tenuous at best and he can't help but think about the wife in Korea that he left behind. Later, after befriending a pretty art student named Hyun-ju and her flatmate Yu-jeong, Sung-nam becomes hopelessly smitten with the affectionate stranger. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kim Yeong-ho, Park Eun-heui, (more)
- 2006
- NR
Widely regarded as acclaimed Korean filmmaker Hong Sang-soo's finest cinematic accomplishment to date, Woman on the Beach concerns Kim Joong-rae (Kim Seung-woo), a mercurially tempered writer/director drafting a screenplay during his stay at an off-season oceanside resort. Joong-rae becomes acquainted with two female vacationers, each of whom unwittingly exposes undercurrents of hostility and self-destructiveness inside of him; he then uses the encounters as script fodder. The film represents Hong's exploration of the machismo, aggression, and hostility that typically lie at the core of the male id and are often exercised in masculine behavior. Woman on the Beach was screened at the 2006 New York Film Festival, at the Film Society of Lincoln Center. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kim Seung-woo, Kim Tae-woo, (more)
- 2005
South Korean auteur Hong Sang-soo generally tells the same story twice, and his work often involves people working in the film industry. His sixth feature, Tale of Cinema, follows this pattern, but Hong adds a new wrinkle. In the first half, we're introduced to Sang-won (Lee Gi-woo of The Classic), who seems to be a ne'er-do-well, and happens to run into Yong-sil (Eom Ji-weon), whom he had a crush on back when they were in school. While she finishes out her workday, he goes to see a play. The two spend the evening together, getting very drunk. After an abortive effort at lovemaking ("Why insist when it doesn't work?" says Yong-sil), Sang-won tells Yong-sil that he'd like to "end with a flourish." She agrees, and the two forge a suicide pact. Their plan goes awry, and Sang-won is hospitalized. He returns home and has a big argument with his angry mother. We next see a new character, Tong-su (Kim Sang-gyeong of Memories of Murder and Hong's Turning Gate) as he exits a movie theater. It soon becomes clear that the first half of the Tale of Cinema is the short film that Tong-su has just watched, as part of a retrospective of the work of a peer from film school. The filmmaker has fallen ill and his classmates are having a get-together to raise money for his family. Tong-su doesn't seem interested in going until he runs into Yong-sil, the actress from the short film, who has had some success in the intervening years. He stalks her for a while, and eventually introduces himself and explains to Yong-sil that the filmmaker stole the story of the film from Tong-su's stories of his own life. Tale of Cinema was shown at the 2005 New York Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi
- Starring:
- Eom Ji-weon, Lee Gi-woo, (more)
Two men pursue a woman form their past in this drama from South Korea. Heon-jun (Kim Tae-woo), a struggling filmmaker who has just returned from the United States, runs into his old friend Mun-ho (Yu Ji-tae), now an art professor, and they decide to get a bite to eat. Over dinner, they find themselves talking about Seon-hwa (Seong Hyeon-ah), a beautiful woman they both dated in college. While both men flirt with their waitress, talking about how Seon-hwa has renewed their fascination with their old love, and they individually decide to track her down. They discover Seon-hwa, once an artist, is now working as a bar manager; they learn, in her personal life, the fates have not been kind to her, and in many respects, she's not the women she once was. Yeojaneun Namjaeui Miraeda (aka Woman is the Future of Man) was screened in competition at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Yu Ji-tae, Seong Hyeon-ah, (more)
A young actor, Gyung-soo (Kim Sang-kyung) is dealing with the failure of the film that marked his first starring role. The director, angry at Gyung-soo for demanding his pay despite the film's failure, tells him, "Even though it's difficult to be a human being, let's not turn into monsters, okay?" Depressed and lonely, Gyung-soo travels to Chuncheon to meet an old friend, Seong-wu (Kim Hak-sun). The two spend a lot of time drinking and carousing, which eases the tension that has grown between them. Then Seong-wu introduces Gyung-soo to his dancer friend, Myung-sook (Yeh Ji-won), who seems to have been infatuated with Gyung-soo even before they met. One drunken night, they share a motel room. Myung-sook professes her love, but Gyung-soo doesn't share her feelings. To make matters worse, he learns that Seong-wu has secretly loved Myung-sook for a long time. Gyung-soo is still depressed as he boards a train back to Seoul. On the train, he spots a beautiful woman, Sun-young (Chu Sang-mi), and they talk. She's seen him perform on-stage, and compliments his acting. He feels drawn to her. He gets off the train when she does, and follows her to her house. The next day, he knocks on the door. He discovers that she's married, but continues to pursue her. They go out to eat, and she tells him they've met before. The dialogue in Hong Sang-soo's naturalistic romantic comedy Turning Gate was mostly improvised by the actors. The film was shown at the 2002 New York Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kim Sang-kyung, Chu Sang-mi, (more)
Virgin Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors was writer/director Hong Sang-soo's (Turning Gate) third feature, and his first to be released on DVD in the United States. As the black-and-white film opens, a wealthy young man, Jae-hoon (Jeong Bo-seok), arrives at a hotel room, and examines it while he waits for a woman to join him. Soo-jung (Lee Eun-ju of Tae Guk Gi) phones him after a while, and tries to get out of their planned tryst. They argue on the phone. The film then flashes back to show us, in numbered and sometimes titled episodes, how the relationship between these two characters developed. Jae-hoon was working as an assistant to a struggling filmmaker, Young-soo (Mun Seong-kun of A Petal). After several social engagements, Jae-hoon suggests to Young-soo that he might be interested in financing his next film. Jae-hoon begins to pursue Soo-jung, who keeps him at bay for a while. But Jae-hoon is persistent, and eventually, she relents. She lets him know that she is a virgin. Eventually, it becomes clear that Young-soo also has a romantic interest in Soo-jung. Jae-hoon gets jealous, and he and Young-soo get into a big argument, but they patch things up, and make plans to go to an expensive hotel on Cheju Island where, presumably, they will have sex. At the film's midway point, Hong returns us to the first chapter, and we are taken through the story again, with many changes to the action -- some subtle and some more severe. The film's English-language title is an apparent reference to Marcel Duchamp's artwork, "The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even." The original Korean title is the far more prosaic Oh! Soo-jung. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lee Eun-ju, Jung Bo-suk, (more)
The beautiful mountains of South Korea's Kangwon Province provide a popular getaway for stressed-out residents of Seoul. The first segment of this two-part drama centers on a trio of young women, one of whom, Ji-sook (Oh Yun-hong), is very sensitive about the recent demise of her latest love affair. During their trip, she has a heated argument with her two companions. Later, she returns to the mountains to be near a handsome young cop they encountered there (Kim Yu-seok). The second story (occurring simultaneously with the first, though this is not readily apparent to viewers until later) follows university lecturer Sang-kwon (Baek Jong-hak) on his vacation. Accompanied by his friend, he rides the same train as the girls, visits many of the same locations, and witnesses the same events. Like Ji-sook (who just may have been his most recent girlfriend), Sang-kwon has an almost-affair with a woman he meets. When that fails, he employs a prostitute. This sophomore effort from filmmaker Hong Sang-soo (The Day a Pig Fell Into the Well), played at several international film festivals, including Cannes, Montreal, and Pusan in 1998. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Baek Jong-hak, Oh Yun-hong, (more)
- 1996
This innovative and darkly humorous Korean outing features neither pigs nor wells. The film was written by four writers, each of whom was in charge of developing one character apiece. After each basic plot was created, the film's director allowed the actors to improvise. The four characters are an unsuccessful novelist who hates himself, his icy girlfriend, her salesman husband, and a pretty ticket taker at the local cinema who secretly loves the writer. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
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