A year later, today…, the very prolific Korean filmmaker Hong Sang-soo returns to the water with the melancholic and poetic film Shin Seo-ho, Ha Seong-guk and Seung Yoon Kim. In our cinemas this week at 1:00 p.m., this drama has been well received by the French press, with an average rating of 3.6 out of 5.
What is it about?
A young actor is shooting a movie on the rocky island of Jeju. When he lacks inspiration, he sees a silhouette at the base of a cliff. Thanks to this meeting and a love song written years ago, he finally has a story to tell.
What does the press think?
According to Cahiers du Cinéma:
“Then there is an aesthetic revelation that only Monteiro’s Branca de Neve or Dura’s “Atlanticos” have achieved in narrative cinema. By Fernando Ganzo – 5/5
According to Les Inrockuptibles:
“The water freezes here with as much clairvoyance as calmness, this fierce resistance of the creator is invaded by obsessive images that stir in his head and cannot reproduce them perfectly.” by Ludovic Beot – 5/5
According to Critikat.com:
A generalized blur is not intended to transcribe an exact sensation, but to represent a certain entity in the world – an aesthetic distance that aims to enjoy shapes, lights and colors. By Robin Vaz – 4/5
According to Les Fiches du Cinéma:
“An impressionistic canvas combined with both poetic and melancholic reflections on artistic obscurity, Hong Sangsoo’s new stroll haunts, then unsettles.” By Simon Hoare – 4/5
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According to Liberation:
“In this seaside and landscape film, the most successful part of the proposal lies in the capture of small animated seascapes (as they are called in painting), which radiate a rather intense nostalgic sweetness. By Laura Thuillier – 4/5
According to aVoir-aLire.com:
“This gap in cinema, dear to Hong Sang-soo’s raw work, reveals the director’s sensitive taste for Cézanne’s paintings. ‘In the Water’ is a little gem of poetry about human emptiness and a rupture of inspiration for artists.” By Laurent Cambon – 4/5
According to Télérama:
“In the water is a little too reduced to this theoretical game, making for a monotonous story where the boldness of offensive clarity feels almost timid given the pictorial challenge it might involve.” Watercolors sometimes suggest the brightness of red. An umbrella and a bush of yellow flowers, but formal pleasures otherwise remain limited.” By Jacques Morris – 2/5
According to L’Obs:
“To exaggerate his delicate script, Hong Sang-soo refuses to calculate and takes everything vaguely, which is certainly symbolic, but above all uncomfortable.” by Xavier Leherpeur – 1/5
Source: Allocine
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
