On the Beach at Night Alone.
— MOVIES WORTH WATCHING —
On The Beach At Night Alone
A must-see film !
Best Actress, Berlinale: Kim Min-hee
Screened at the Hong Kong Filmart: 14 MAR 2017
“Are you still searching for love?
Where’s love? It’s not even visible? You need to see it in order to search for it.
You know how charming you are?”
As Alfred Hitchcock has said time and time before, film is about the story, the story, and the story.
This would seem to be a classic tale: a story of forbidden love and a lost soul. No heartbreak compares to a love that suffers in the eyes of society that is deemed ‘wrong’. Glimpses of a Woody Allen-esque style and flavour appear in the film. However, it is the remnants of auteur director Eric Rohmer that I see from the very first scenes of this masterpiece.
I say masterpiece because it takes a fearless director to tell a story to its highest truth. This feels like ‘real life’. That we are imposing; with scenes that visually feel like live theatre. There is guts in its staging, and the characters, however small it may be — all work together as an ensemble. I felt transported into the middle of their scene and it was uncomfortable. This film does not feel like an act.
The bold performance of the lead actress Kim Min-hee wins her Best Actress @ Berlinale and is so very well deserved!
Her pain, suffering, and longing for a love that cannot be, hurts and is bravely laid bare. These subtle nuances are splendidly captured in the stillness of the camera, where the director lets his leading lady shine. The minimalist set is kept clean, filtering an essential rawness that looks and feels like a documentary.
While this work may possibly feel too close to home — as such it happens to mirror their true life situation. The director speaks his mind and utter heartfelt words that come alive when spoken and the emotion, it cuts deep. Hong Sang-soo’s script is littered with pain and heartache, and he does not hold back.
Like the classic tale of Romeo & Juliet yearning to love one another even if it is the wrong place, wrong time, wrong person. This film leaves you with a feeling to love without fear.
This film is something all filmmakers have to see. Director Hong Sang-soo and his muse Kim Min-hee are the team to Watch!
Kim Min-hee in 'On the Beach at Night Alone'
We live in a crazy strange world where one is truly lucky to find and meet someone to love in their lifetime; and this message is what the director projects in this film.
“I’m the kind of person who needs to live alone.”
Film:
On The Beach at Night Alone
Screenwriter/Director:
Hong Sang-soo
Stars:
Kim Min-hee
Seo Young-hwa
Jung Jae-yeong
Distributor:
Finecut, Korea