The Novelist’s Film (2022)

I’m still reading Dennis Lim’s book about Hong Sang-soo’s film Tale Of Cinema, which is used to discuss the prolific auteur’s body of work. I’ve seen a lot of Sang-soo’s films this year, mainly due to the fact that many of them were added to SBS OnDemand. By seeing more than one of Sang-soo’s productions, […]

On The Beach At Night Alone (2017)

A beach is always a contemplative site in cinema, and South Korean director Hong Sang-soo seems to return to it as a space for his characters. On The Beach At Night Alone (2017) features two beaches – one in Hamburg, the other in South Korea – and neither takes place in the pitch-black of night […]

Grass (2018)

“I believe that my films are not made to express a story, but to feature some fragments” – Hong Sang-soo. A couple catch up in a cafe. Classical music plays on the stereo; apparently the cafe owner loves classical music. At times, the music swells and almost drowns out the conversation. Then again, what seems […]

Tale Of Cinema (2005)

Tale Of Cinema (2005) is the second film I’ve seen by the prolific South Korean director Hong Sang-soo and apparently this is the first one where he started using zooms? A scene will be playing out in a master shot and then the camera will zoom in, resetting the frame, almost haphazardly and amateurish, but […]

Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance (2002)

Something about Song Kang-ho’s face – as a presence he emits an innate likeability and charm. The guy has range, of course, and it’s always compelling when a likeable film presence plays someone whose actions are considerably unlikeable. Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance (2002) is the first of the unofficial “Vengeance” trilogy from South Korean director […]