Woman on the Beach (DVD)

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Unlike "Woman is the Future of Man," "Woman on the Beach" follows a linear chronology. The narrative still rambles from episode to episode, however, as major tensions and relationships are either resolved or dismissed in order to introduce completely new ones. The early love triangle eventually transforms into a second one when Moon-sook returns late in the film in order to compete with Sun-hee for Director Kim´s attention. The power dynamic in each relationship (even between Moon-sook and Sun-hee) changes almost from scene-to-scene, and the real pleasure is in watching how each word, each gesture, each decision shifts the ground beneath them. There´s the Rohmer comparison again.

The film makes great play of the immaturity of its male characters. Suspended between adolescence and adulthood, they are needy, demand (futilely) that the women in their lives fulfill those needs, and throw temper tantrums when their objets du désir refuse to cooperate. Hong doesn´t make the mistake of idolizing his women either. They can be vain, mean-spirited and every bit as narcissistic as the men. In other words, they´re regular people, complex and conflicted enough to be worth spending a few hours with.

The acting in the film is strong across the board and it needs to be in order for the film to work. Hong generally gives his actors free-reign, using mostly long takes and master shots to let the action play out in real time though he has his stylistic idiosyncrasies. Scenes play out for a few minutes at a long focal length only to suddenly be reframed by a quick zoom, turning a master shot into a close-up. It´s a bit disorienting at first, but it´s an effective alternative to typical analytical editing.

Carefully observed, and with tongue always firmly-in-cheek, "Woman on the Beach" is a sympathetic study of relationships developing and crumbling. Though he closely studies their every nuance, Hong never puts his characters in a Petri dish. We laugh with them, enjoying their foibles as they do their best to make life and love work.

VIDEO

The film is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. This is one of New Yorker´s better efforts, a progressive transfer with sharp image quality.

AUDIO

The DVD is presented with Dolby Digital 2.0 and Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks. Optional English subtitles support the Korean audio.

EXTRAS

The DVD includes a "Making Of" featurette and interviews with cinematographer Kim Hyung-koo and

FILM VALUE

Though it´s not as strong an effort as "Woman is the Future of Man," "Woman on the Beach" is still a fine example of Hong Sang-soo´s work. Though he has acquired the dreaded label of "festival favorite" his films aren´t twee at all. It´s a little bit melodrama, a little bit comedy, and with a whole lot of soul.

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