#hong sang-soo

We explore the poster art of July.

this is an arthouse film that probably cannot be appreciated without knowing the tabloid gossip around hong sangsoo and kim minhee. an unapologetic mea culpa for kim through hong, the film is about an actress whose affair with a married director has brought her career to a halt. she returns to korea and her friends tiptoe around her, only alluding to the scandal for fears of her mental wellbeing and outbursts.

i found kim minhee’s character to be unlikeable and admirable - admirable because she defiantly tries to make herself happy at every turn, but unlikeable because this personality takes a toll on her friends around her. at times her friends have to cajole her “you’re really pretty / talented / charming, you know?” “don’t say that… i’m not” “really” “am i…? (in a coy voice) i guess i am … hahaha” – this gets nauseating and repulsive by the second occurrence. stop the self pity please.

i felt the film was hong’s way of apologising to kim, and kim’s way of trying to vindicate herself and gain sympathy with her audience. i appreciated, though, the simple style of hong, whose observation of daily conversations some may find boring. this is vastly different from the corner of korean cinema i have been dwelling in, where wretched histrionics and plot twists are generously employed. – 5/10

In Front of Your Face (Hong Sang-soo, 2021)

In Front of Your Face (Hong Sang-soo, 2021)

ouugg:

On the Occasion of Remembering the Turning Gate (생활의 발견), dir. Hong Sang-soo (2002)

밤의 해변에서 혼자/Bamui haebyun-eoseo honja (2017, Hong Sang-soo)