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[HanCinema's Film Review] "The Novelist's Film"

Festival-favorite Hong Sang-soo's 28th feature was invited for the third consecutive time to Berlin, where it won the Silver Bear Grandy Jury prize, establishing once more, the Korean's ability to produce movies that net awards from European competitions.

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The titular protagonist is Joon-hee, a writer who is suffering from a block and has decided to turn to movies. As the movie begins, she travels out of Seoul into a small bookstore, run by an estranged friend, Se-won, a former writer herself, who has given up the art, opening the bookstore and just indulging into reading instead of writing. The conversation of the two women seems to imply some kind of tension, which is never fully presented though, since Joon-hee's interest soon turns to Se-won's clerk, Hyeon-woo, who is proficient in sign language.

As the story moves in a straight line, with each sequence adding a new character from Joon-hee's past, she then stumbles upon a director, Hyo-jin and his wife, in another interaction that includes some tension, since he was to direct an adaptation of her works in the past, which was never actually materialized. Joon-hee is polite, but also slightly testy with him, an attitude that becomes more intense upon their strall in a nearby park, where they stumble upon semi-famous actress Gil-soo. After some small talk, Joon-hee suggests to the woman to take up the adaptation of one of her movies, with Kyeong-woo, Gil-soo's partner also eventually getting involved. The movie then makes a circle as the two women return to the bookstore for some discussions with another filmmaker and the owner under the consumption of alcohol, while the story goes as far as the actual creation of the movie and its screening.

Implementing his usual, trademark and essentially perfected recipe of chance encounters and extensive dialogues, Hong Sang-soo presents a story in sharp monochrome, which seems to comment on the film industry in a fashion that is ironic, amusing, but also somewhat bittersweet. As usual, there seems to be something autobiographical in the story, with the presence of Hyo-jin potentially mirroring Hong himself, a sense that is heightened even more by the presence of Kwon Hae-hyo in the role, who has taken up roles that imply he is the filmmaker's alter ego on a number of occasions. The way the author and aspiring script-writer dismisses him and the fact that in their initial encounter, he is ashamed to the point that he hides and send his wife to ask Joon-hee if she would like to see him, heightens this sense, also due to another trademark of the Korean's style, of the self-deprecating humor.

Apart from this, it is also interesting to see some of the comments presented here. The concept of charisma, and particularly how the people who have it and the people who surround those who have it perceive it, is a central one. The main ones, however, revolve around the concept of cinema, and how indie films are created, with the chance encounters between semi-acquaintances that lead to the beginning of a production essentially involving friends and relatives, highlighting this remark quite intently. That Hong Sang-soo eventually includes the side of an editor and a cinema manager, makes this approach even more analytical, although the whole concept is presented through a bittersweet humoristic approach, with the turn up of the audience showcasing this aspect in the most eloquent fashion.

One of Hong's best qualities is his ability to retain his sense of measure and the pace from beginning to end in his movies, and "The Novelist's Film" is no exception, being another lesson in retaining balance, with him having complete control here as both the DP and the editor. At the same time, he decides to break a bit away from this approach, with the scene following the ending credits offering a kind of surprise, at least in visual terms.

The acting is once more top-notch, with HHS including actors who know exactly what he demands from them and are quite comfortable with his style. Kim Min-hee is delightful once more as Gil-soo, with the scene when she passes out from drinking being truly memorable, and her smile filling the screen every time she shows it. The desexualized way Hong is "using" her in his movies also seems to work quite well for both, showcasing other aspects of her acting, apart from her evident beauty. That the discussion about charisma revolves around Joon-hee and not her could also be perceived as an ironic element, from the many that are included in the movie. The one who steals the show, however, is Lee Hye-young-I as Joon-hee, with the underlying emotions she expresses subtly, and her semi-star attitude being a true wonder to watch.

Hong Sang-soo does not reinvent himself with "The Novelist's Film" but presents another title that highlights how he has perfected his particular style, which is bound to garner awards and attention from festival audiences for many years to come.

Review by Panos Kotzathanasis

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"The Novelist's Film" is directed by Hong Sang-soo, and features Lee Hye-young-I, Kim Min-hee, Seo Young-hwa, Park Mi-so-I, Kwon Hae-hyo, Jo Yoon-hee-I. Release date in Korea: 2022/04/21.

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