Bamui haebyun-eoseo honja

Sang-soo Hong, South Korea's most famous film director, besides having a long and well-stocked career (24 works, long or short, since 1996) is an international film festival fixture. An admirer of Eric Rohmer, he is noted - like his master - for his dislike of gratuitous effects and for his knack for depicting every day relations. On the other hand he is sometimes criticized for always making the same film, in the same environment (Seoul, its streets and... restaurants!) and for indulging in superficial marivaudage. Sure, his stories almost always address the subject of love but the Korean director is definitely not a mere illustrator of the grand maneuvers of amorous seduction. A minimum of attention makes it glaringly evident: there is always more to his characters than just one trying to lure another into their bed. True, his characters all have sex drive but they also have a brain, a heart and... many defects! Agreed, there is often a light comedy tone to his works (well exemplified by 'The Day After', one of his latest efforts) but, although very good at the genre, the director is more ambitious than just that. Bringing smiles is obviously one of his strong points but in his case, humor serves above all as a springboard for more serious matters. If you are not content with a superficial look, you soon realize that the Korean master's agenda (hidden or not) consists in examining such weighty topics as the meaning of life, human behavior, social relationships, and naturally art - particularly cinema and literature... Everybody knows that Marivaux and Rohmer did not deal only with mating, well... nor does Hong. And as for "always making the same film", haven't the self-appointed prosecutors heard of variations on a theme? What else do Fellini, Bergman, Woody Allen do? Hong does not repeat himself, he simply has a universe and motifs of his own: yes, his heroes are mainly intellectuals, but what is wrong about featuring those he mixes with and accordingly knows best, all the more since brainy ones - by definition - think (even if they often do it badly) and give depth to the stories told. Yes, the scene is often set in Seoul, but not exclusively so: if you take the Hong train, you will also travel to Kangwon Province, Juju Island, Shinduri, Tongyeong, Gangneung, Paris, Trouville, Hamburg, Cannes... "On the Beach Alone at Night", the work we are concerned here with, is an excellent illustration of my assertions. The story once again involves a film director (Sang Soo Hong is easily recognizable in the dream sequence as a tortured creator, who like his equivalent in real life is having a complicated love affair with actress Min-Hee Kim). And there is another of these hearty meals with plenty of beer and other spirits the director is a specialist of, but besides the fact that this kind of set-piece is as eagerly awaited by Hong enthusiasts as their equivalent in Hitchcock, Sautet or Chabrol films, they are always both hilarious and profound; side-splitting because loss of inhibition engendered by alcohol induces the characters to act foolishly; deep as liquor makes them spout (cruel) truths they usually keep unexpressed. In "On the Beach alone", there is not one but two of such meal sequences and they are amusing to compare. The second one, set in Gangneung is the classic Hong meal sequence : a group of "friends" laugh and make cutting remarks, especially the charming, well-educated, usually reserved heroin. The members of the group composed of people who had great expectations but driven by circumstances to lower their ambitions laugh at each other and instead of easing the atmosphere rub salt in the wounds. Earlier in the film, Yeong-hee, the actress, has lunch with a German couple in Hamburg. How different the atmosphere is then. In the company of a well-meaning, sensible, health-oriented, water-drinking German couple, no barbs are hurled but on the other hand the atmosphere remains awfully stiff and nothing of importance is exchanged.For Hong, perfection is obviously synonymous with dullness. The sure thing is that « Alone on the Beach » is anything but superficial. It is first and foremost the superb portrait of a woman who, despite her young age, finds herself at a crossroads. Having had, because of a scandalous affair with her director, to withdraw from the screen, the charming Yeong Hee wanders aimlessly throughout the story in a state quiet desperation, close to outright hopelessness, examining her life, her love story, the meaning of it all with no compromise, including in a surprising nightmare sequence. As for Hong, he lives up to the Bergman-like ambition of his project (although with a lighter touch than the Swedish master), proving both a consummate painter of melancholy and great woman's director. From the refreshing initial sequences in Hamburg (when Yeaong-hee still hopes her lover will come to see her) to the darker (and at times humorously dark) ones set in Korea, the writer-director aptly manages to make the audience connect with the young woman, making their own her states of heart and mind. He could not be served better than by Min-hee Kim, as engaging as she is beautiful, never putting on a show. On the contrary, she is herself and touches us all the more for that. The actress is well surrounded by Hong regulars, among whom Hae-hyo Kwon (as an old friend) or Sung-keun Noon (as the lover-director). « Alone on the Beach at Night » is accordingly - and definitely - one of Song-soo Hong's major works and is therefore, recommended.

I liked this film, surprisingly. The actress. The character played by the actress. Because nothing much happens I was surprised at how it held my attention. Basically, it is about a young actress getting over her affair with her director. The music helps in underlining the poetic quality of this work.

I knew nothing going into this, and perhaps that's why its sensitivity and its meticulous pacing really surprised and impressed me. Visually the film looks simple, yet it's very elegantly shot. The screenplay, in particular the intimate dialogue between characters, is fantastic. The biggest strength of the film is Min-hee Kim. She has such an ethereal quality to the way she performs, expressing the dialogue in such a natural, realistic way. The film isn't standard entertainment fare, but it sure is strong.

The Korean movie Bamui Haebyeoneseo Honja was shown in the U.S. with the translated title On the Beach at Night Alone (2017). It was written and directed by Sang-soo Hong.

Min-hee Kim stars as Young-hee, who was apparently a successful actor, but who now describes herself as box office poison. The reason for this is that she had an affair with a movie director, who is married.

The movie is divided into two parts. In the first part, Young-hee is visiting an older woman, who is her friend. Young-hee is waiting for her lover, who may or may not arrive. The last few frames of this part didn't make sense to me, so I don't know if he arrived or not.

In part two, Young-hee has arrived back in Korea after two years abroad. (Another reviewer says she was in Hamburg, Germany. I didn't see that in the subtitles--maybe the reviewer speaks Korean.)

What follows is an interminable hour of Young-Hee either walking on the beach (sometimes alone), sometimes with other people), but never at night.

Interspersed with her walks are conversations with friends during which Young-hee looks vacuous. Mostly they talk about each other. "You are beautiful." "Yes, but the script girl is beautiful too." The highlight of these conversations comes when a character asks Young-hee, "Are you still searching for love?" Her answer: "Where's love? It's not even visible. You need to see it in order to search for it."

Also, by the way, Young-hee is a mean drunk. Apparently that's OK, because she's a beautiful movie star.

Director Sang-soo Hong is an international darling of the film world, so his movies get shown at important festivals, and they get awards. This film was nominated for awards at the 67th Berlin International Film Festival. Min-Hee Kim won the Golden Bear award for her acting.

It's not a coincidence that she herself did, indeed, have an affair with Sang-soo Hong. So, art reflects live, or maybe vice-versa.

Fortunately, IMDb raters weren't impressed by the reputation of the director and star. The film has an anemic IMDb rating of 6.8. I didn't think it was even that good. I rated it a 5.

P.S. Normally, IMDb male raters outnumber female raters by two to one, or three to one. In this case it was five to one. My guess is that men went to see it because the title made them think it would be a sex film, a horror film, or both. For the record, it's neither.

If you've ever wondered what a film could achieve with the audacious premise of following someone who's essentially pondering the meaning of life while strolling along a beach at night, well, look no further. Hong Sang-soo's masterpiece is a cinematic ode to introspection, and it's a journey so intense that it makes a late-night snack run seem like an epic adventure. Our heroine, played brilliantly by Kim Min-hee, seems to ask the existential questions we all ponder, like, 'Should I have ordered dessert?'

While the movie is heavy on dialogue, it's all about those awkward, bumbling conversations that make you wonder if you should've brought an emotional survival kit. Kim Min-hee's character might as well have a Ph. D. in overthinking, and we get to join her on this rollercoaster of self-discovery. The beach becomes her therapist's couch, and every seagull is a silent yet judgmental observer. But hey, who needs a therapist when you have waves crashing in the background?

In conclusion, "On the Beach at Night Alone" is the film you never knew you needed. It's a deep dive into the abyss of human thoughts, set against the serene backdrop of a beach. And if you've ever considered deep conversations about life and love while munching on popcorn, this one's for you. Just don't forget your thinking cap, because you're in for a ride that's as enlightening as it is hilariously relatable. Four and a half stars for the laughs, the introspection, and the seagull therapy sessions.