Worth mentioning in any list of recent Korean films are E J-Yong's new,
unbelievably beautiful adaptation of De Laclos, UNTOLD SCANDAL; the
films of Lee Chang-dong, especially his brilliant and moving OASIS; and
the other films by Hong Sang-soo beyond TURNING GATE, including
particularly VIRGIN STRIPPED BARE BY HER BACHELORS and his new Cannes
'04 competition film (also upcoming at the NY Film festival and just
screened by the American Cinematheque), WOMAN IS THE FUTURE OF MAN. Of
the Korean directors I've seen more than one film from, Hong is perhaps
the most impressive. He has an unusually sensitive and humanist
attitude toward all of characters, whom he depicts with a wry,
sympathetic view that fits nicely into a tradition from Chekhov to
Rohmer. He's very close to Rohmer, in that he adores observing people
who talk and reveal themselves even when they're not aware of their
self-exposure. His camera always remains at medium distance--never so
far away that his people become reduced by the urban landscapes that
surround them (as is sometimes the case with Tsai Ming-liang, with whom
he shares a few qualities in common), nor so close that a particular
character is privileged over another. Like Rohmer, too, Hong appears at
this stage to be an artist who will be making variations on much the
same themes from film to film--the disconnect between men and women,
the utter inability of men to comprehend what women want, the sad gap
between youthful aspirations and reality, the ways in which everyday
"good manners" conceal darker motives. Hong is proving to be a
filmmaker of vast riches; naturally, none of his fine films have
received a proper North American release.
Robert Koehler
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