“By the Stream” Review

There is no easy entry point to the work of Hong Sang-soo. Even though his style remains consistent, his Eric Rohmer-inspired narratives frequently built around off-the-cuff drunken conversations and meandering walks around Seoul, there’s a density to the storytelling not always immediately apparent. His earlier work could often be in conversation with itself, with metatextual…

Hong Sang-soo’s “The Woman Who Ran” Review

While her husband is out of town on a business trip, florist Gam-hee (Kim Min-hee) decides to embark on a venture of her own to reconnect with three different old friends living across Seoul. Although reciting a script, Gam-hee routinely mentions to every friend how her and her husband haven’t spent a day apart since…

The 58th BFI London Film Festival: Hill of Freedom Review

  For a film that was selected for the laugh category at this year’s BFI London Film Festival, the least you’d expect is Hill of Freedom to be funny. Instead Hong Sang-soo’s film is poorly paced with little acting or directorial merit to speak of. The film follows Mori, a Japanese man searching for his…