6. Right Now, Wrong Then (2015)
Hong Sang Soo directed a naturalistic film, a fact stressed by the magnificent performances of the two protagonists, Jung Jae Young as Chun Su and Kim Min Hee as Yoon Hee Jung. His usual cinematographic style, including long takes interrupted by sudden zooms is also evident here, as is his unique and unexpected sense of humor. His message is quite clear: the little choices we embrace everyday can alter the course of our whole life. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
7. Yourself and Yours (2016)
But “Yourself and Yours” differs slightly for the positive and decidedly romantic atmosphere that we breath during its unfolding and for the more linear and less layered narrative of the previous works, without however detracting from the value of the work. The director playfully explores identity, ambiguity and how relations influence them, with the added fun of an unresolved mystery. Often what is needed in a crisis is just a new beginning, a good shake from those negative dynamics that become habits, and above all, as Min-jung repeats to Young-soo: “Don't try to understand everything”. It sounds like an advice to the audience too, an invite to give multiple interpretation to the puzzle. My personal one is that the sly Min-jung has regained total control of her life and her relationship with Young-soo, bringing it back to life with a well-aimed shock. And the happy ending is welcome, complete with a small divertissement from the self-citing director. (Adriana Rosati)
8. Claire's Camera (2017)
Like his leads, Hong's films are festival darlings, completing the rounds, but with “Claire's Camera” reminding the viewer of so many of Hong's other films, is there enough humour and charm to offer anything new to audiences and his fans as it breezes by? Well, perhaps like So with alcohol: you don't need more, but you can always go for another round. (Andrew Thayne)
9. Hotel by the River (2018)
“Hotel by the River” finds Hong in an unusually melancholic mood. Impermanence, both of our physical self as well as that of relationships, is questioned and pondered upon. It's how the two stories deal with it that sets them apart. While Young-hwan and his sons look back at past memories and missed chances with fond affection in trying to make the most of what little time they apparently have to spend with each other, Yeon-ju wants Sang-hee to forget what has gotten her at her current state of mind and live in the present. (Rhythm Zaveri)
10. The Woman Who Ran (2020)
When Gam-hee visits her first friend Young-soon (Seo Young-hwa), they talk more about the quality of good meat that the guest has brought than about one's marriage and the other's recent divorce. The little of conversation that evolves around their relationships, one allegedly happy and the other dissolved, is painted both with obscurity and humour. Instead of turning men into a topic, the interest wanders towards the question surrounding the eating and drinking habits, in the presence of Young-ji (Lee Eun-mi) a woman who's sharing the apartment with Young-soon and who's serving them and cooking food. Their fun-time gets disrupted by a neighbor (Shin Suk-ho) who calls to demand of the two women to stop feeding local cats, because his wife appears to have Ailurophobia. This is the funniest dialogue in “The Woman Who Ran” with the unforgettable appearance by one of the “robber cats” who steals the show, but the “Cat man” is certainly not the most annoying male character in the film. (Marina Richter)
