While we all know that making a film is quite an undertaking, this is even more true when we are talking about the feature you direct. Many directors often become quite critical and even embarrassed at times talking about their first time in the directing chair, focusing on the issues which define this very first effort, which above all tells the story of someone who still had a lot to learn. If we ignore the nostalgia for a moment, it is also a decisive step, often linked to many fears and truths which we are not ready for, especially regarding the future we have planned for ourselves. In his latest endeavour “In Water”, South Korean auteur Hong Sang-soo tells a story dealing with these issues, about a group of young people trying to make their first movie, which is also about a tale about the purpose of art, for ourselves and the world we live in today.
The Oath of the Sword is screening at San Diego Asian Film Festival
After having been an actor for quite some time, Seoung-mo (Seok-ho Shin) has decided to make his first feature as a director. Together with his friends, fellow actors Sang-guk (Ha Seong-guk) and Nam-hee (Kim Seung-yun) he has come to Jeju Island to collect ideas for the project and also start filming. However, since he has no real idea what he wants to direct, the three friends mostly sit around, have drinks or snacks and walk around the island, looking for some locations which might look nice in the feature.
As he is about to lose hope of ever making a movie, he sees something one day at the beach. Upon following the mysterious figure, he exchanges a few words and eventually has the idea of the kind of story he wants to put onto film.
For quite some time now, Hong Sang-soo's projects have been dealing with encounters, seemingly banal events which could potentially have great consequences for people's lives. This was quite true for projects such as “Introduction”, but even more so for “In Water” which has been described by other reviewers as his “most personal and poetic” feature. While the form of the film takes some time getting used to, there is an undeniable beauty to “In Water;, its out-of-focus imagery looking like a water paining or the three central characters as they engage in childish games and activities, but also tell themselves about their hopes for the future, enforced by a strong belief in each other's abilities.
There is something truly likeable about “In Water”. With its looks being a reminder of things unfinished, raw and direct, it is a mirror of the indecision and the insecurities of the three main characters, especially Seoung-mo, who essentially plays an artist trying to find his voice and the story that interests him. Many of their conversations and actions, from the ramblings about how they feel they are copying the works of famous role models to their hangovers in the morning, feel authentic in the light of a story of people attempting to find their voice, and also relevance in the art of creating something in our world or whether meaning can be transported through the medium of film.
“In Water” is a very philosophical feature and at its core, a tale about the relevance of art and artists today. Hong Sang-soo seemingly undeniably sheds a light to his three protagonists and their struggles, mirroring their insecurities in the form of the feature, which makes “In Water” a truly heartfelt project.
