Hong Sangsoo

[therewillbeblus]

I'm trying to plan my Melbourne International Film Festival schedule and deciding between seeing In Front of Your Face or The Novelist's Film – which one should I prioritise? I can see there's already a strong vote for the first from twbb.

I don't like either, but yes, avoid the latest film if you can

[Michael Kerpan]

TWBB -- you are making me very eager to see this. But I suspect it will be a year or so before I get a chance.

[therewillbeblus]

Not sure if you're joking or not since I don't like either - or if we just misalign our recent Hong tastes so inversely-in(out-of?)-sync that it's a safe bet you'll like them! - but feel free to PM me if you want to see them before then

[Michael Kerpan]

TWBB -- I haven't genuinely disliked any of the Hong films I've seen so far. I may love some and only moderately like others -- but I have never had the intensely adverse reactions to any that you have had to at least some.

[therewillbeblus]

I know, I just thought it was funny how you phrased that, placing me as an agent driving your eagerness to see these movies when I'm trashing them

[Michael Kerpan]

At least partly a joke... But also I am curious to see whether I can find a clue as to why these are so much less appealing to you (regardless of whether I react negatively myself).

[DarkImbecile]

Trailer for Walk Up, premiering at TIFF

[ryannichols7]

confirmed that The Novelist's Film and Walk Up will be at NYFF, US debuts for both, and both distributed by Cinema Guild

good time to be a Hong fan, you really never have to worry about his work seeing some form of distribution or home video release. In Another Country aside...and yes I will keep beating this horse

[ryannichols7]

당신 얼굴 앞에서 (In Front of Your Face / dangsin eolgul ap-eseo) [2021] | Cinema Guild (available 25 October 2022)

소설가의 영화 (The Novelist's Film / Soseolgaui Yeonghwa) [2022] | Cinema Guild (coming soon; currently open in some countries, NA "debut" at NYFF)

워크 업 (Walk Up / wokeu-eob) [2022] | Cinema Guild (coming soon; world debut at TIFF/NYFF)

some updates! hoping for some info on "older" releases soon for year's end

EDIT: I have seen conflicting Korean titles on Walk Up, using both the transliteration and also 탑 (tap/b) which means "tower" - since this will obviously get a Cinema Guild release its not as pressing to have as the ones for the older films, but my OCD/completionist tendencies would love if I could settle this one ASAP. any insight is appreciated!

[justeleblanc]

다른 나라에서 (In Another Country / Dareun naraeseo) [2012] | DS Media Korea (w/ Nobody's Daughter Haewon) [update 12 Jul 2022: Kino supposedly not interested in rereleasing film]

Is there a source for Kino's lack of interest in this one? I'm not doubting it, but am curious to finding out more/why and if it means it might find its way to another label.

[The Fanciful Norwegian]

EDIT: I have seen conflicting Korean titles on Walk Up, using both the transliteration and also 탑 (tap/b) which means "tower" - since this will obviously get a Cinema Guild release its not as pressing to have as the ones for the older films, but my OCD/completionist tendencies would love if I could settle this one ASAP. any insight is appreciated!

Sorry I didn't see this earlier, but the Korean title is 탑 (which does mean "tower" but is also a homophone for "top," something I'm sure Hong knows and is deliberately playing on). I'm pretty sure the transliterated title was an unofficial one used after the initial TIFF lineup announcement, when the English title was the only one out there.

[ryannichols7]

다른 나라에서 (In Another Country / Dareun naraeseo) [2012] | DS Media Korea (w/ Nobody's Daughter Haewon) [update 12 Jul 2022: Kino supposedly not interested in rereleasing film]

Is there a source for Kino's lack of interest in this one? I'm not doubting it, but am curious to finding out more/why and if it means it might find its way to another label.

straight from the source. I'm sure either of the other labels would love to put it out

EDIT: I have seen conflicting Korean titles on Walk Up, using both the transliteration and also 탑 (tap/b) which means "tower" - since this will obviously get a Cinema Guild release its not as pressing to have as the ones for the older films, but my OCD/completionist tendencies would love if I could settle this one ASAP. any insight is appreciated!

Sorry I didn't see this earlier, but the Korean title is 탑 (which does mean "tower" but is also a homophone for "top," something I'm sure Hong knows and is deliberately playing on). I'm pretty sure the transliterated title was an unofficial one used after the initial TIFF lineup announcement, when the English title was the only one out there.

perfect, thank you and that's exactly what I was thinking - Introduction threw me off since that one really did end up just being a transliteration! it's a very clever title that I wish had some sort of equivalent in English

[Michael Kerpan]

In Front of Your Face finally arrived from Cinema Guild today. So I watched it this evening. Perhaps because of personal circumstances, I found a lot of resonance with the situation of the protagonist. I think this was Hong's first film centered on an "old" female protagonist (though Hotel By the River featured an elderly male one). The tightrope walking she does between past and (not appealing future) -- and her attempt to stay focused on the beauty of the "present" is something I can very much appreciate. I also thought this was an especially visually lovely Hong film. If I were to rate this, I'd put in my list of Hong's A-level films (meaning "loved with no real reservations").

[togg]

The Novelist's Film is the best film of 2022 for me. I can't wait to see the last one and I hope that I will have even one more in Berlin next month.

[therewillbeblus]

Would love to hear a defense of In Water by the Hong-acolytes here, as I think it's his worst film yet. I can't conceive of a single angle from which to admire this one - Hong switches things up with almost exclusively out-of-focus shots (cool?) but his banal "Rohmeresque" convos don't infuse any rich subtleties of emotion or inferred dynamics into them, as he usually invokes at least a few times even in his weakest work. The most interesting part of this film is when someone talks about wanting to head-butt a ghost, and there's nothing cute or funny about it, nor does it signify rapport. It's just.. something different

[Michael Kerpan]

I'm sure it will be at lest a year before I manage to see In Water, so I'll see then...

[zedz]

someone talks about wanting to head-butt a ghost

You've probably just landed this on a bunch of must-see lists.

[therewillbeblus]

I almost spoiler-box'd it because it's the only part of the movie that's memorable

[barbarella satyricon]

...

[barbarella satyricon]

...

[togg]

Hong made very clear that the focus choice is not that relevant, in general these stilistic choices rarelly are. What matters is the character desires, which is where the focus of the movie lays. There's a protagonist that struggles to find satysfying shots, he looks for symbols. Then he falls in love and discovers cinema. It's a beautifull story.

[Michael Kerpan]

I got the new BluRay of Novelist's Film from Cinema Guild -- and I have to ay I enjoyed this one quite a bit. Yes, it was pretty "aimless" overall, but I found it pleasurable throughout. And I found the black and white cinematography pretty gorgeous overall -- one of the best looking recent b&w films I've seen (in terms of sheer appearance). Sorry to hear that later films might be less appealing (out of focus throughout -- not sure I could handle this) -- and also sad to hear the HSS-KIM Min-hee artistic (and personal) partnership has ended.

[togg]

Sorry to hear that later films might be less appealing (out of focus throughout -- not sure I could handle this) -- and also sad to hear the HSS-KIM Min-hee artistic (and personal) partnership has ended.

In Water is not less appealing at all. It's a very touching story. Also they are still together

[barbarella satyricon]

...

[Michael Kerpan]

Watched the Cinema Guild release of Walk Up. The black and white cinematography in this struck me as quite attractive. I felt the portrayal of the director here was pretty rueful and lacerating (in a low-key fashion). The building it was shot in was definitely one of the stars. A little extra feature about the building reveals a few interesting facts. For example, the shooting in the first floor restaurant was handled in a way that did not interfere with the normal business opeations (or customers) of the real world restaurant there (which made the building's owner quite grateful). Also, way back in the past Hong's film production office was located on the third floor of this same building.