On the Occasion of Remembering the Turning Gate

Well I've heard a lot about the director, Hong Sang Soo, and his works, which seemed to be getting good responses from critics continuously. But never watched his work before. Maybe it was that critics saying good things about a film and you don't want to see it.

But my friends watched this and they all recommended it and so I gave it a shot. Well I was astonished. This film deals with relationships-especially relationships between men and women, can be called a comedy impov, but there¡¯s not a single sweet moment that we usually see in romantic comedies.

This film shows us two successive love affairs a man experience and it¡¯s really amazing how the director portrays them perceiving their relationship on their own ground. The characters are all everyday figures, sometimes you feel ashamed just looking at them because they could be you in your past relations. Again Very Straightforward film and if you want something sweet avoid this one, but if you want something that raise something to think about, go for it, watch it, feel ashamed and think over it.

This low key, insightful, and ultimately devastating film quietly observes a callow young man in his search for love. Utterly ill-equipped for the challenge, he bounces from one encounter to another, hoping that he'll find the connection to life that's missing in his life, but instead, he causes pain wherever he goes in his self-absorbed quest. When he finally utters the words "I love you" they are hollow and come immediately after his admission of dishonesty, manipulation and deception.

There's a sad charm to the guy, especially if you identify even a little with his plight, and that takes some of the sting out of the film maker's subtle satire.

I was reminded often of Antonioni who also analyzed the failed searching of young people for love and connection in a culture that left them hopelessly alienated and cut off from each other except for their sexual couplings, which seemed to leave them even more selfish and heartless.

The performances are sublime, especially Sang Mi Chu, who lights up the film the minute she appears.

Not as depressing as I may have made it sound, it has moments of humor, and not a little affection for its characters.

From the very start i was caught up in the pacing of this film. Everything felt so down-to-earth and therefore so natural.

But as it is often the case with those calm movies, there is, in truth, a lot of noise behind these curtains of silence. You can't see it directly but after looking at all these details, and there are a lot of them, frictions are just popping out everywhere. Every single spoken word has then a special meaning.

Technically the film is simply dull. No music, at least i don't remember, very simple camera angles etc. It felt more like a theater-play than a film. The only difference was having the real environment, but even that was not so important. There were only some "items", which played a key-role, like the turning gate, but they were also replaceable with a stage-backdrop.

So that is the risk that some might be bored to death when they happen to run into this film. For myself it was just fascinating. A 10/10 as a theater play ... but, because of the unused potential of "film-techniques", a 9/10 as a movie.

This film is about the quest of love of a young man. It is extremely realistic, especially in the description of a self-cantered central character who seems always a little surprised at what is happening to him.

The film is NOT a romantic comedy. It is not even a comedy, or a drama, or whatever category you usually put movies in. It is a transposition of life, with all its ambiguities, its unaccomplished desires, its eternal quests.

The direction is minimalist but effective. The acting is sublime. If you are not worried to watch a movie which shows things that might be happening to you, go and see it.