As the first snow falls in Seoul, two old friends reunite; one is a successful college professor, and the other, a struggling filmmaker recently returned from the United States. The title of the film is a translation of a line from a poem by Louis Aragon that the director saw printed on a French postcard. In Seoul, the paths of two men and one woman intersect and move apart from one another, centering around their love for cinema. Hun-Joon used to go out with her and when he left for a trip to the United States, Moon-Ho stepped in. It's always interesting going back to earlier Sang-soo films this one doesn't hold his usual characteristics but the evolution is fascinating.After we finished watching this, Kat declared this one of her least favorite Hong Sang-soo films but added that she'd be willing to watch it again. She made me realize that while I've never valued this one very highly either, I still must have seen it at least three times since it came out. The male characters are both children, hiding deep insecurities underneath pseudo-intellectualism and academic prestige. It's always interesting going back to earlier Sang-soo films this one doesn't hold his usual characteristics but the evolution is fascinating.An absolutely realized and deeply troubling look at the nature of relationships in a contemporary South Korean context, pulling on the genre of romantic comedies in ways that other New Korean Cinema autuers have, but here returning only with the emphatic affirmations of ultimate loneliness. If WOTB is Hong’s Rohmer, this is his Cassavetes. He then starts an affair with the friend's girlfriend. Certificate: R(A)
In a strange way, he is canvassing how some men treat women but also showing both sides of the coin. For me, he’s one of the best living directors. This movie in particular was no different and I loved the way it sort of trailed off in some moments to places I wasn’t expecting. We were stupid, inexperienced boys and instead of just hanging out and being friends with her, almost all of us wanted to date her. the scenarios are gruesome yet play out in the same lightness as hong’s other works. A professor in the film department at a provincial university goes to Seoul to meet his senior, who works as a film critic, and stays in a northern Seoul village for three days. More than ever, every gesture, both behavioral and cinematic, counts; this is highly concentrated filmmaking. In a strange way, he is canvassing how some men treat women but also showing both sides of the coin. Suffice it to say, the poster art chosen for the Letterboxd page is far from accurate and I do not think a beach even factors into the film.When I was in high school, there was this girl that hung around the periphery of my little clique. Woman Is The Future Of Man 2004. Drama Comedy I can’t wait to watch more.good god.
After wandering in their own version of reminiscence, they decided to find and meet her, who turns out to be running a hotel lobby bar in Puchon, a satellite city near Seoul. At first she said yes, before changing her mind and exasperatingly asking me, "Why can't we just be friends?" Sang-soo Hong has done it again: he has made another controversial film that deals with the in-depth investigation of human sexuality, this time focusing solely on it from the perspective of two old friends meeting up again, one a successful college professor and the other a struggling film-maker.Looking for some great streaming picks? Martin Scorsese loves Hong Sangsoo's WOMAN IS THE FUTURE OF MAN (2004) for its unfolding narrative and 100% believable cast. I still regret that.Very Rohmer-esque, with an added sense of structural playfulness. Dude gets blow jobs from his old girl friend AND one of his students in the same day and he still feels like a loser- is there a director working today with more honesty about male sexual politics?The New Yorker dvd had a surprise intro by Scorsese, as well as a making-of featurette that shows Hong micro-managing every single aspect of mise-en-scene with Bressonian control. Two college friends get together and reminisce on the woman they both fell in love with at different times in their past, and are thus propelled to find her. Certificate: PG What brings me back to this film despite my reservations about it?Hong's mastery over form and content is enthralling throughout WOMAN IS THE FUTURE OF MAN. In his fifth feature, Hong sublimates the forms and structures of his previous work in his ever-searching quest for human truth. Certificate: R(A)