Yeohaengjaui pilyo

Contrary to arguments put forth by detractors of South Korean master Hong Sangsoo, his films are hardly all the same. Repetition, but also difference, constitute the keys to his poetics, and he never returns to exactly the same thing. What is extraordinary and unique are the variations in a method that privileges words and casual conversation as a mode of inquiry into identity, which is paired with a storytelling form in turn in which each scene is self-sufficient, unbeholden to narrative structures whereby final-act dramatic resolution gives meaning to the whole. YEOHAENGJAUI PILYO is the third time French star Isabelle Huppert has worked with Hong, and she appears freer than ever. Little is known about the past of this titular traveller, except that she lives with a much younger man in Seoul and is dedicated to teaching French according to a peculiar method. In 47 shots with 13 zooms to reframe individual scenes, Hong makes us laugh about the entanglements that arise from misunderstandings, and outlines just how difficult it is to correctly identify a feeling with a specific word. (Roger Koza)

Hong Sangsoo: VIRGIN STRIPPED BARE BY HER BACHELORS (2000), TALE OF CINEMA (2005), WOMAN ON THE BEACH (2006), NIGHT AND DAY (2008), HA HA HA (2010), IN ANOTHER COUNTRY (2012), NOBODY’S DAUGHTER HAEWON (2013), OUR SUNHI (2013), HILL OF FREEDOM (2014), CLAIRE’S CAMERA (2017), THE DAY AFTER (2017), GRASS (2018), HOTEL BY THE RIVER (2018), THE WOMAN WHO RAN (2020), INTRODUCTION (2021), IN FRONT OF YOUR FACE (2021), THE NOVELIST’S FILM (2022), WALK UP (2022), IN OUR DAY (2023), IN WATER (2023), BY THE STREAM (2024)