On the Beach at Night Alone

The Korean movie Bamui Haebyeoneseo Honja was shown in the U.S. with the translated title On the Beach at Night Alone (2017). It was written and directed by Sang-soo Hong.

Min-hee Kim stars as Young-hee, who was apparently a successful actor, but who now describes herself as box office poison. The reason for this is that she had an affair with a movie director, who is married.

The movie is divided into two parts. In the first part, Young-hee is visiting an older woman, who is her friend. Young-hee is waiting for her lover, who may or may not arrive. The last few frames of this part didn't make sense to me, so I don't know if he arrived or not.

In part two, Young-hee has arrived back in Korea after two years abroad. (Another reviewer says she was in Hamburg, Germany. I didn't see that in the subtitles--maybe the reviewer speaks Korean.)

What follows is an interminable hour of Young-Hee either walking on the beach (sometimes alone), sometimes with other people), but never at night.

Interspersed with her walks are conversations with friends during which Young-hee looks vacuous. Mostly they talk about each other. "You are beautiful." "Yes, but the script girl is beautiful too." The highlight of these conversations comes when a character asks Young-hee, "Are you still searching for love?" Her answer: "Where's love? It's not even visible. You need to see it in order to search for it."

Also, by the way, Young-hee is a mean drunk. Apparently that's OK, because she's a beautiful movie star.

Director Sang-soo Hong is an international darling of the film world, so his movies get shown at important festivals, and they get awards. This film was nominated for awards at the 67th Berlin International Film Festival. Min-Hee Kim won the Golden Bear award for her acting.

It's not a coincidence that she herself did, indeed, have an affair with Sang-soo Hong. So, art reflects live, or maybe vice-versa.

Fortunately, IMDb raters weren't impressed by the reputation of the director and star. The film has an anemic IMDb rating of 6.8. I didn't think it was even that good. I rated it a 5.

P.S. Normally, IMDb male raters outnumber female raters by two to one, or three to one. In this case it was five to one. My guess is that men went to see it because the title made them think it would be a sex film, a horror film, or both. For the record, it's neither.

I knew nothing going into this, and perhaps that's why its sensitivity and its meticulous pacing really surprised and impressed me. Visually the film looks simple, yet it's very elegantly shot. The screenplay, in particular the intimate dialogue between characters, is fantastic. The biggest strength of the film is Min-hee Kim. She has such an ethereal quality to the way she performs, expressing the dialogue in such a natural, realistic way. The film isn't standard entertainment fare, but it sure is strong.

Korean movie star, Young-hee played with some fire by Min-hee Kim has an affair with a married director.

She seems to be rather lost as the affair ends as she vacations in Hamburg Germany. As the film progresses she goes about with her friends back in South Korea to pick up the pieces.

The film is strictly a stream of conciousnous story with Young-hee coming off the breakup with a very sharp tongue and demeaner. There are many conversations and Young-hee and the director do finally meet in the movie, but it's bittersweet.

At times she begins to rant, she's very angry, but I didn't see the film as most reviewed it, I don't think it was about the director. I see him only as a catalyst to Young-hee who questions have outstripped her answers.

In the end I believe it was more her doing than his. He seemed to have been caught in her vortex. She feels lost but at that edge is something far more. Outside of common reason, she'll have to find her way back if that's her intention.

This isn't a movie that most would jump for, be sure you enjoy a more sedate and introspective film before jumping in.

Mostly talk and ideas.

5 out of 10

Neat to see a Korean woman in film with large questions and serious results.

When I saw the beginning and the background of the movie it seemed like it would be a very good movie but it was just boring, boring, and boring. I didn't want to give up on it but I did complete the movie with the same conclusion boring.

If you've ever wondered what a film could achieve with the audacious premise of following someone who's essentially pondering the meaning of life while strolling along a beach at night, well, look no further. Hong Sang-soo's masterpiece is a cinematic ode to introspection, and it's a journey so intense that it makes a late-night snack run seem like an epic adventure. Our heroine, played brilliantly by Kim Min-hee, seems to ask the existential questions we all ponder, like, 'Should I have ordered dessert?'

While the movie is heavy on dialogue, it's all about those awkward, bumbling conversations that make you wonder if you should've brought an emotional survival kit. Kim Min-hee's character might as well have a Ph. D. in overthinking, and we get to join her on this rollercoaster of self-discovery. The beach becomes her therapist's couch, and every seagull is a silent yet judgmental observer. But hey, who needs a therapist when you have waves crashing in the background?

In conclusion, "On the Beach at Night Alone" is the film you never knew you needed. It's a deep dive into the abyss of human thoughts, set against the serene backdrop of a beach. And if you've ever considered deep conversations about life and love while munching on popcorn, this one's for you. Just don't forget your thinking cap, because you're in for a ride that's as enlightening as it is hilariously relatable. Four and a half stars for the laughs, the introspection, and the seagull therapy sessions.