Earlier this year, one of the two feature films Hong Sang-soo had directed in 2021, “Introduction”, premiered.which had a certain mumblecore touch that evoked those short but magnificent productions like ‘Grass’ and ‘Claire’s Camera’. His second proposal, ‘In front of you’, now arrives in commercial halls with the intention of astonishing in the same way, even if it is a more ambitious betwith which the South Korean filmmaker proves once again a master of dialogues and stories that tell more through their silences and looks.
‘In front of you’ is the chronicle of a farewell, that of the protagonist, Sang-ok, played by a magnetic Lee Hye-young. Professional actress, longtime voluntarily retired and residing in the United States as a liquor salesman in a Washington club, she returns to her native Korea to reunite with her sister, nephew and to meet a film director who wants to work with her, despite has been away from cameras for many years. From the beginning, His relatives are happy with his return but slightly disconcerted, as his arrival was unexpected.
From that premise, Hong tells a story whose layers will gradually uncover, all with the minimalist charm of his cinema. Because this story of meetings is also a story of misunderstanding. It’s fascinating how the director introduces those uncomfortable moments of unfinished business into conversations and how can they get up after having a coffee with milk and toast while admiring the views on the terrace of a cafe overlooking the park and the river or as a business lunch can lead to an afternoon of confessions.
A new triumph in Hong’s prolific filmography
Hong once again shows himself as a virtuoso of transcendental moments within everyday storiesas he well showed in that woman trapped in a marriage that does not satisfy him in ‘The woman who ran away’ or ‘The hotel on the banks of the river’, in which she addressed a series of topics that are also touched upon in ‘In front of to you’. Hong has an incredible ability to replicate while the person telling her has a chance and eats fried anchovies.
For this story, the director chose not to direct his inspirational muse, Kim Min-hee, who only produces the film. Instead, has a masterful protagonist, Lee Hye-young, who with her silences and looks shows a grieving womanwith that feeling of bitterness that leaves after having wasted years in absurd quarrels. Her scenes in which she visits the neighborhood in which she lived convey a series of sensations that show the talent of the performer.
‘In Front of You’ is once again an example of how extraordinary Hong is as a director, who has grown in recent years thanks to the fact that he has chosen to focus on specific stories, completely avoiding the narrative break, which allows him to enjoy those stories that seem trivial but which hide in their daily life a greatness typical of transcendental stories. A new “maintenance exercise” by a director who continues to pursue a career with a film backgroundWell, this year he is back in style with ‘The Novelist’s Film’, which won the Grand Jury Prize at the last Berlinale and which already aspires to be another essential title in his prolific filmography.
Note: 8
The best: The scenes where Sang-ok visits the place where his childhood home was located.
Worse: See no further than the apparent lightness that its minimalist environments convey.
Source: E Cartelera
